Vibes of Time
by Milmiss
Summary: A single event, an unknown mistake. Twenty two years later, it’s coming back to haunt them.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : Mutant X doesn't belong to me, blah, blah, blah, no surprises here. However, Derek, Jenny, Julia, Anjelica, Darien and Stephanie are mine, and Agent Davis belongs to AliasJaneDoe. The Nolexin doesn't exist for real, I created it.

Summary : a single event, an unknown mistake. Twenty-two years later, it's coming back to haunt them.

Author's Notes : I'm a B/E shipper, I guess you know what it means. Don't read if you don't like the idea of them together. As for the other pairings, I had absolutely no controls over them, so don't hold me responsible for possible cardiac arrests.

Season three and approximately second half of season two never happened. Only a past character will appear at some point, but any other ressemblances with other episodes are pure coincidences. And I'm so not joking. ;)

If you're familiar with the PureMX timelines, just keep in mind that season one takes place in 2007 and season two in 2008. And forget everything else. The other facts wouldn't work with this story anyway.

Huge thanks to Frickangel, LoveConquers and Aurore. You girls know why. You rock :)

This fic is a birthday present for AliasJaneDoe.

**Vibes of Time**

_By Milmiss_

Chapter 1

_Sanctuary, May 25th, 2030_

"She's the twelfth in three weeks. I may be wrong, but it doesn't look good."

"I know," Adam sighed. He was seated at his desk, vidtalking to one of his old contacts, Agent Davis.

"She was a woman in her late forties," resumed Agent Davis. "I'm sending you the information we have on her. But it now means that this" He paused, not sure how to describe what had happened over the past three weeks, "This phenomenon affects women as well. Up until today, the victims were males only. This is getting worse. I've been able to cover it until now, but if this goes on..."

"What can you tell me about the cause of death?" Adam interrupted, refusing to think about that part of the problem for the moment.

"The symptoms are the same, progressive obstruction of the respiratory tract causing suffocation. The coroner didn't pursue the analysis because the cause of death was so evident. But those deceases, Adam, this can't be a coincidence."

"You're right, I don't think it is."

"You have something in mind?" asked Agent Davis, seeing the tense expression on Adam's face.

"Nothing specific yet, but I could use some samples to look over."

"I'll manage something, don't worry, you'll have them." Davis nodded.

"Good, I'm going to send you two members of my team."

"Alright, I'll wait for them," he said, ending the communication.

The room grew silent as Adam leaned against the back of his chair, deep in thoughts. The events of the last weeks were puzzling to him. In only twenty days, twelve mutants had died from strange and similar circumstances, and the symptoms described to him by Davis worried him greatly.

He sighed before getting up, unable to understand how all of this had happened. If his suppositions proved to be true, the future wasn't looking good for new mutants because it appeared to be some kind of epidemic. The deaths, whatever had provoked them, didn't seem to be slowing down; they were not isolated deaths or mere coincidence anymore.

A yell coming from outside of the room broke his reflection.

"DARIEN!"

Despite his current inner turmoil, Adam smiled. Anjelica. He would never understand how a fifteen year old girl with parents like hers could have such a strident voice. He walked quietly to the glass of his office, curious to know what the problem was this time.

"You better not turn visible ever again if you want to live a long life! You're dead if I can get my hands on you!" Anjelica threatened. She was slowly crossing the hall of Sanctuary, turning her head repeatedly from left to right.

A laugh could be heard.

She let out a frustrated sigh. "You and your power." She was ready to give up when an idea popped into her head. He would never turn down this kind of challenge. She grinned. "You know what I think? You're just too chicken to face me."

"I'm not stupid, my dear. But alright, if you insist..."

It was silent for a few seconds, then Darien turned visible just behind Anjelica, gripping her arm without warning, twisting it behind her back.

"HEY!" protested Anjelica. "This is so not fair."

Darien was obviously enjoying himself. "What can I say? You know the old saying, 'All's fair in love and war'."

"You spend way too much time with Derek. Anyway, that's what I thought. We're officially at war now."

"Come on, you do love your brother, don't you?" he said with a small voice, faking to be hurt by her comment.

But Anjelica wasn't buying it, she knew him too well. "Don't flatter yourself so much, Darien."

"Anyway, from where I'm standing, lil' sis, it is obvious I have the upper hand." He was doing it on purpose. He knew how much she hated when he was calling her "lil' sis."

"First of all, I am not your lil' sis" she started calmly.

"Yes, you are. Even if it's only for 20 minutes, technically you are."

"And secondly," she resumed, not really listening to him. "You do not have the upper hand."

As Darien frowned, Anjelica delivered a couple of blows, and he ended up lying face down on the floor. She then seated herself on his back before he could make a single move.

"Where the hell did that come from?" asked Darien, dumbfounded.

Proud of herself, Anjelica crossed her arms over her chest, smiling. "I'll tell you if you tell me where's my diary."

He grumbled something under his breath, then reluctantly added, "My room, second drawer."

Her smile grew even wider as she bent down and whispered in his ear. "Don't try that again with me, bro. Uncle Brennan just taught me a lot of other interesting moves. Wouldn't want you to get hurt." She got up laughing and made her way to her brother's room.

Adam shook his head, smiling. Those kids were impossible. He turned around, hearing the beep signaling incoming documents, knowing it must be the information Davis had talked about. Information that he hoped would help him find out the reason for this slaughter, and maybe confirm his suspisions. He dreaded the thought, although he knew the samples would certainly prove useful. He collected the papers and activated his communicator. "Emma, Shalimar..."

* * *

As the doors of the theater opened, a large group of people exited the building. They were all talking eagerly about the movies they had just seen. The façade of the theater was covered with a huge poster, featuring two male actors and a car. Big letters displayed the text, "Back to The Future Trilogy Marathon – 40th Anniversary." In the middle of the mass, a couple of young students, walking hand in hand, appeared to be in the middle of a heated discussion. 

"Come on, Derek," said the young woman, "You can't be so hard on him!"

"Steph, all I'm saying is that he could have been more careful." As she eyed him angrily, he went on. "All the things he was doing were so obviously screaming, 'Hello, I'm your son'. I can't believe his parents never grasped that."

Stephanie stopped and faced him, arms crossed over her chest. "I'm sure you would have done the same mistakes."

"You know, Elbert Hubbard said, 'The greatest mistake you can make is to continually fear you will make one'. So, no, I don't think I would have,"he said with a mischievious grin.

"You're impossible, you know that? But if I remember correctly," she added, smiling softly, "Didn't Roosevelt say, 'The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything'?"

Derek chuckled, and lifted his hands in the air. "Okay, okay, I surrender. Maybe I would have made a slip of the tongue or two... would never have called my father 'Dad', though," He added under his breath.

Stephanie slapped his arm playfully. "I heard that."

"Come on," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they resumed walking. "I'm just joking. You know I had a great time watching those movies. And it was fun to see your favorite actor in his first role. Cute little baby, this Uncle Joey," Derek laughed.

"You're such a tease," stated Steph, half-complaining, half-smiling.

"However, I did notice an interesting fact," He commented. "No matter the changes made by Marty, he always ends up with the same girlfriend."

"True," agreed Stephanie, "The same goes for his parents, it seems. It's pretty romantic, like saying that true love is meant to be."

"Refreshing perspective," Derek whispered while kissing her cheek.

"You think so?" She asked, turning to look at him.

"Uh-huh," He smiled, touching her lips with his own. Stephanie kissed him back, but a female voice soon broke the moment.

"Derek..."

They parted, and Stephanie sighed, looking at her boyfriend. "Derek, your mom's a psionic. How can she not feel when the moment is inappropriate?"

"Wow, thank god, I'm not connected with my mom 24/7 ! I mean, we have a connection, but it's not like we're inside each other's head." He looked around him. "Come on," He said, taking Steph's hand and leading her to a quiet place. He then activated his comlink. "Yes, mom."

"I'm in town with Shal, we're going back to Sanctuary with samples for Adam, and he's requesting our help to analyze them. Can you meet with us?" came the reply.

Derek looked at Stephanie.

"Sounds important," she stated.

"Well, it's not really normal for him to request both my mom and my help for the same thing," agreed Derek. "I'm gonna have to go," He said reluctantly.

"Remind me again why you're studying bio-genetics?" asked Stephanie, raising her eyebrows in a teasing way.

"I fell into it when I was a baby?" he tried, joking. He then mouthed the word 'sorry' while lifting his hand to reply to his mother. "Where are you?"

* * *

Emma, Shalimar, and Derek were the last ones to enter the rec room of Sanctuary. Adam, Jesse, Brennan and Jenny, awoman in her mid forties, were already there, waiting silently for the last people to arrive while the younger ones, Anjelica, Darien, and Julia, a seventeen year old blond teenage girl, were chatting together. As soon as Adam spotted them, he began the briefing and the room grew quiet. 

"I want you all hale and hearty first thing in the morning for this assignment. You all know now that there was another victim amongst the mutants. This may be worse than I had originally thought. Twelve mutants have died over the past three weeks, and we may be at the forefront of a serious problem."

"Is this an epidemic?" asked Brennan, automatically wrapping his arms around Emma's waist when she moved closer to him.

"That's what we need to find out," answered the older man. "Shalimar, Brennan, you'll go in the field. Ask friends and family members for information. I want to know what the victims did during their last few days, what they ate, where they went, who they met, if they were acting strange, everything. Six each, it should be over by the end of the day." When he saw them nod, he went on. "Jesse, Jenny, you'll work from Sanctuary. I want you two to draw up an exhaustive background on the victims. If what's happening has a past cause, we need to be able to find the similarities."

"You got it," answered Jesse, after a slight cough.

"And Emma, Derek, we have a lot of work to do on those samples. I want results by end of the day tomorrow," Adam stated gravely.

"What about us?" asked Julia, refering to herself, Anjelica, and Darien. "We want to help."

Adam smiled. "I know. You can go with either Shalimar or Brennan, if you want." He then looked at the twins. "As for you two, you'll stay here and help your parents, if they need a hand." He then ended the briefing and left the room, Derek following him.

Emma turned towards Brennan. "I'm going to start working with them tonight. The sooner we figure this out, the better."

"Don't get too tired out. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day," he said, giving her a little kiss.

"Yeah, I know. I won't come to bed too late."

"Okay," he said, watching her leave the room to go work with Adam and Derek.

Jenny and Jesse had followed their lead and were already seated in front of their respective computers.

At the other side of the room, Julia approached Shalimar. "Mom? I have a bad feeling about this." She wasn't sure what it was, she still wasn't controlling her feral senses very well. "He didn't tell us everything, right?"

Shalimar ran her hand through her daughter's hair and smiled softly. "This is how your father's is, he'll tell us what we need to know in time, don't worry sweetie." Julia nodded, still not at ease.

* * *

Brennan lifted his head from the book he was reading when he heard Emma step into the room. The only light was coming from the small lamp on the bedside table next to Brennan, leaving much of the room in the semi-darkness. Yet he saw her approach and closed his book, putting it on the night table. She sat on the bed close to him, her face appearing in full light. 

She was beautiful. Brennan couldn't think of anything else. She always was. Even... even when she wasn't smiling, when she seemed preoccupied.

Emma looked at the closed book then turned her face towards him again. "You're not sleeping." It was more a statement than a question.

"Actually," he began, taking her hands in his, "There were way too many things in your mind to let me sleep."

"Oh." Even after all this time, it always surprised her how their bond was constantly being strengthened through the years.

Brennan glanced at the clock beside him. "3am? Guess we don't have the same definition of _late_," he joked playfully, attempting to lighten the mood. But she remained impassive. "No good news, then?" He concluded, turning serious. "What is it, honey?" He leaned forward, cupping her face with his hand.

Emma shifted nervously. "This is bad. I can feel it, deep inside of me." She put her hand on her chest to emphasize her point. "I mean, all we did tonight was preparation work for tomorow, but... I've never felt so insecure, so apprehensive, so uneasy about something."

"Hey," He whispered, "Whatever it is, there's nothing we can't face together, you know that, right?"

"Of course," she replied, the feelings she was sensing from Brennan bringing a smile to her face.

"You should come to bed and get some sleep before the night is over," Brennan suggested.

She nodded, making her way to the bathroom. Uneasy, Brennan watched her, feeling more of her apprehension wash over him. Her instincts had never been wrong before.

* * *

TBC 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks a lot for the reviews ! I really appreciate it :)

See chapter one for disclaimer, summary and author's notes.

**Vibes of Time**

_by Milmiss_

Chapter 2

"Attempt failed."

It was the eighth try. The eighth idea that could have worked. Could have... only to finally fail like the previous ones.

Adam, Emma, and Derek had been working on the samples of the dead mutants all day long. The others would be back soon and it seemed like they hadn't progressed at all.

Which was true actually.

Or almost true.

The only thing they had managed to discover was some kind of trace of a similar product in all the samples. After several analyses, they had identified it. The product was known as Nolexin, something Adam wasn't really familiar with. However it seemed evident that the appearance of this product in all the samples wasn't natural. And it was reasonable to think that it was responsible for this tragedy.

So the next phase had consisted in trying to get rid of the Nolexin present in those samples. But all the tests they ran had been negative until now.

"We're not getting anywhere," complained Derek. "And how did the product end up in the organism anyway?"

"Good question. But I'm afraid it wouldn't really help us to know that, seeing that we can't eliminate it in the first place. The damage is already done."

"You never know," whispered Derek to no one in particular. "Just drive a DeLorean to fix what once went wrong." He realised he had said that out loud and that his uncle and his mom were eyeing him strangely. "Oh, sorry," he apologized. "Just watched 'Back to The Future' with Steph yesterday. Just... forget I said anything."

"No," replied Adam "You may have a point. I'll have to ask Jesse to locate Diana... just in case."

* * *

The scene had a feeling of dejà-vu. They were all gathered in the rec room, just like the previous day. Jenny and Jesse had just ended their report, nothing conclusive coming from it. Adam turned towards the other group waiting for their results. 

Brennan spoke. "Well, we crosschecked our information. Seems like the victims didn't do anything unusual in the days before their death. No similarities about the places they went or the people they saw. However, some things are the same, the symptoms pre mortem. All relatives declared the same things. They said that the victims seemed to have caught a cold or something because they were coughing a lot. Plus they had trouble with their powers."

"What do you mean by 'trouble'?" inquired Adam.

Shalimar took over. "They weren't controlling them anymore. They were manisfesting themselves without warning."

Adam frowned slightly. He would definitely have to call some of his contacts about the Nolexin.

"Yeah, lucky it never was in public places," Brennan added as an after thought.

"This certainly is related to the Nolexin. Side effects, maybe," stated Adam. Emma and Derek seemed to agree with him.

"Related to... what?" asked Brennan.

Adam then proceeded to tell them what had emerged from their analysis.

* * *

Adam had just ended the last phone call he had planned to make when Shalimar entered his office with a mug in each hand. 

"What are you doing here? You should be asleep, it's late," he said when he spotted her.

Shalimar smiled. "Funny, I was about to tell you the exact same thing." She slowly crossed the room and leaned her back on Adam's desk, facing him. She then handed him his coffee.

"Thank you. I needed to call some people," he answered, taking several sips of his hot drink.

"You know, Julia felt that you weren't telling us everything," she said matter of factly.

"Like mother, like daughter," he smiled, before turning serious again. "I didn't want to freak you all out with only suppositions."

Shalimar picked up on that. "Didn't? Are you saying that those suppositions are now fact?"

Adam sighed, diverting his gaze from her.

"Adam," She put her mug on the desk and laid her hand on his own, waiting for him to look at her again. But when he did, his expression left her speechless. He was scaring her.

Aware of her unease, Adam attempted a small smile and squeezed her hand to reassure his wife. "I'll tell you all in the morning."

Shalimar swallowed. "I talked to Emma earlier. She said you mentioned Diana when you were working on the samples. What does she have to do with it?"

"Well, at the beginning I didn't think so, but she may be the solution to our problems. At least, I hope so." He then slowly stood. "Go rest now."

Shalimar nodded, knowing she couldn't make him say more. "Are you almost done?"

He had recieved a sample of pure Nolexin a few hours ago, and wanted to make a new analysis. "I still need to run some more tests."

"Okay." She grabbed her drink and slowly left the room, aware that he wouldn't come back for at least two or three more hours.

* * *

TBC 


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks again very much for the reviews. You guys are great. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it :)

See chapter one for disclaimer, summary and author's notes.

**Vibes of Time**

_By Milmiss_

Chapter 3

_This is hapening way too often_, thought Brennan as he looked around the lab, where the team was once again meeting, but without the children this time. Their leader had prefered to speak to them first. They had each taken a seat, waiting for Adam, who had called the meeting. As soon as he stepped into the room, Emma's fears intensified. The feelings he was broadcasting were overwhelming, presaging nothing good. She instantly reached for Brennan's hand, who eyed her, concerned.

Adam took a deep breath before beginning. What he had to say wasn't going to be easy. "Last night I called..."

"Hold on, Adam," interrupted Shalimar.

Everobody looked at her, and when they saw her eyes turning feral, Jenny and Jesse immediately realized the problem. "Darien," they called out simultaneously.

In one corner of the room, Darien became suddenly visible. "Alright, I'm sorry." He didn't look sorry at all, but he stormed out of the room before anyone could say anything.

Brennan turned again towards his wife, not liking what was going on. She hadn't even felt his presence in the room. Something was definitely wrong.

But before he could say something, Adam started again. "So, last night I called a few people, mostly the relatives of the twelve families. I had a specific question to ask them. And I'm afraid their answers confirmed my fears. I needed to know exactly where their victims were back on March, 5th 2008." He paused to look at the occupants of the room and saw their faces changed in realization. Then they all turned to look at Emma.

"We all know what happened that day, Adam," she whispered keeping her head down, but sensing the weight of everybody's gaze on her.

"Well, actually no, and that's the problem." She glanced back up sharply. He had everyone's full attention again. "It appears that the product we found in those samples was stocked in the chemical factory that exploded that day."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jesse, breaking off to cough slightly. "There never was any mention of Nolexin in the database of the place! And the explosion was confined, anyway. There wasn't a lot of damage..." He stopped, realizing what he had just said. "I mean, in the factory itself."

"I know that. As for the Nolexin, remember that it was illegal at that time. But my sources confirmed it for me yesterday. That's how I cross-checked the information."

"But it was twenty-two years ago," protested Shalimar. "Why are the side effects manifestating themselves only now?"

"Incubation."

"How were they contaminated?" asked Brennan, refering to the victims.

"Inhalatoin."

Every single word of Adam were like another bomb on them.

"So we're infected too. I mean, we were there that day."

"It was spread around with the explosion. You surely would have been infected anyway," explained Adam, in an attempt to ease the tension. "However, the Nolexin was probably more violent to the ones closer to its source, hence the symptoms appearing faster for some people. But other factors could be considered like organism or powers."

"How come you never saw it during our check-ups?" Jesse asked, frowning.

"The only way I could have noticed it would have been if I had looked for evidence of the product in the first place. I had no reason to. And I also had no way of knowing that the mutant gene was reacting to this product."

"So, is this only affecting mutants? And all the mutants?"

"I'm afraid so," stated their leader gravely.

Emma was almost too afraid to ask. "Is there a cure?"

Adam's silence was enough for an answer.

"What do you mean?" Jenny found it hard to keep a steady voice. "That they're all terminally ill?"

"I did some tests with a brand new sample of Nolexin I obtained from one of my contacts. I could have gotten rid of the product in the days, possibly the weeks following the explosion, but..."

"But not after 22 years." Jesse finished for him. "Hold on, since we are infected... it means... what does it mean for our children?"

"Yes, the kids are infected too. It's as much a part of their body as it is a part of yours, possibly even more."

Suddenly there didn't seem to be enough air in the room.

* * *

Anjelica, Julia, and Derek were sitting on the stairs not too far from the lab, watching what was going on through the big glass of the room when Darien met with them. 

"I told you my mom would sense you," stated Derek.

"Well, actually she didn't." When Derek frowned, he went on, "Aunt Shal is the one who felt my presence," he added, sitting beside Julia.

She shrugged. "Makes sense too."

Minutes passed, and Derek finally leaned towards Julia. "Can't you hear what they're saying?"

"I already thought of that. But it seems that my father thought of everything when he built this place. I can't hear a single word. It's very well insulated." She looked at him. "What about you? Can't you pick something up from them?"

Derek turned his attention to the lab, voice quiet. "Anger, fear, powerlessness. If I go deeper than that, my mom will block me out."

Then they all turned to look at Anjelica. "What? What do you want me to do? I don't have any powers!"

They frowned; they had played all their cards. All that was left now was to wait for their parents to tell them what was going on.

* * *

"This is when you tell us about Diana, right?" Shalimar ventured, her eyes displaying a mixture of fear and hope. 

They all looked at her, then at Adam, all animated by the same feelings. _Hope and fear are inseparable. There is no hope without fear, nor any fear without hope_. Brennan had read that line once and found it hard not to think about it at this specific moment.

Adam nodded. "Well, Diana could be the key. I mean, we can't change anything about the stiuation as it is now. So the only solution would be to somehow prevent this slaughter from happening."

"Why do I have the feeling that you already planned all this?" Brennan inquired.

Adam looked at him and smiled. Sometimes he could be as perceptive as Emma.

* * *

Jenny was already asleep when Jesse got ready for bed. _No wonder_, he thought, _with the sleeping pills Adam gave her_. 

He laid down next to her and extended his arm to turn off the light. He suddenly caught his breath when he felt two of his fingers starting to mass. A few seconds passed, during which he could have sworn his heart stopped beating, and then everything returned to normal. He clenched and unclenched his fist a few times to make sure that the massing had stopped. Satisfied, he turned off the light and turned towards his wife.

He had been denying it up until now but the symptoms had been there for a few days now. The uncontrollable massing was new though. Up until tonight, it had only been fits of coughing, luckily when the others weren't around. They would have freaked out. And there wasn't anything that could be done anyway, according to what Adam had said. He could only hope that he would wake up in the morning, and that the whole thing with Diana would work. They had all agreed to wait until the day after to tell the kids. When the mission would have already begun. That way it maybe wouldn't make them freak out as much. And they would also spend at least one more restful night.

Reluctantly, Jesse stayed where he was, not moving closer to Jenny, just watching her through the darkness. It was killing him not to be able to touch her, to wrap his arms around her, but he knew he would never forgive himself if somehow he massed during the night. The thought that he could possibly hurt her was unbearable. So he kept his distance and laid his head on the pillow, his eyes never leaving Jenny's face until exhaustion claimed him.

* * *

TBC 


	4. Chapter 4

I can't stop smiling when I get feedback. I'm glad to know that you're enjoying this story. Thanks for the reviews. Really. :)

See chapter one for disclaimer, summary and author's notes.

**Vibes of Time**

_By Milmiss_

Chapter 4

The next morning Derek went to the lab per Adam's request. He couldn't explain it, but he was very apprehensive about it, somehow sensing the importance of the meeting. As he stepped into the room, his parents, who were also there, and Adam looked expectantly at him. This didn't reasure him, on the contrary, it had the opposite effect.

"Uh, okay, what did I do?" It was never a good sign when the three of them wanted to talk with him. Not that it had happened often, but still…

Adam smiled. "Nothing, Derek. Sit down, please."

Derek did as requested and looked at his parents. "So, what is it about?"

Emma looked at her husband before turning her eyes to her son. "We decided to give you the green light for your first mission."

His mom's statement left Derek speechless. That was the last thing he expected to hear. He looked from his parents to Adam, and the apprehension he had experienced before entering the lab intensified. Apprehension... but also excitement. Of course he was excited about it, it somehow meant becoming an official member of the team, and he had been looking forward to that for some months now, but not under these circumstances. He could feel the circumstances were wrong.

"So, this is bad. You're considering the Diana option. You want me to time travel?"

Emma and Brennan looked at Adam, asking him silently to explain the mission to their son.

"Yes, you're right; this is about the time travel. The situation is critical in our time and if we want to improve it, something has to be changed in the past. Thing is, your parents, Shalimar, Jesse, me, we all existed when things need to be changed. We can't take the risk of sending one of us back in time. It would alter way too many things..."

"Yeah, and then we'll be in for a major time paradox," Derek said without thinking.

"What?"

_Sounds like a bad remake of 'Back To The Future'_. "Never mind. So, you think I'm the right person for this mission?" He finished for Adam. He saw him nod and went on. "When it is anyway?"

"Actually, this is the awkward part. We would need to send you back when the chemical factory was blown up on March 5th, 2008."

Derek's breath got caught in his throat. He looked up slowly from his parents to Adam, and it dawned on him that it was not a joke. "You want to send me to back around that time?" He asked rhetorically. "No way!" he stated firmly, shaking his head.

"Derek, you have to stay calm."

"Stay calm!" he suddenly exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Uncle Adam, you're killing me here! And I mean that literally. I mean... just sending someone back in time would change the future, even without doing anything. Ever heard of the butterfly effect?" Of course he had, and Derek knew it, he wasn't waiting for an answer, he just wanted to make his point. "And now you're asking me to roughly hang around with you all when... when... You can't be serious! There has to be another way!"

"There isn't," came Adam's reply.

"Why can't you send Julia instead?" protested Derek. "I know she's younger, but she's as capable as I am."

Adam took a step towards Derek. "We know that. But we can't let the others us know too much about their future. And Shalimar would suspect something right away."

"And you really think she won't sense me?" He sighed. "I can't believe this!"

"Her senses won't pick up anything as long as you don't give her a reason to believe that you're related to your parents," Adam tried to explain. "It's not as if you were her own son. And her powers were not so developed in 2008."

Derek threw his hands in the air, agitated, pacing up and down, not knowing how to get Adam to understand. He was soon stopped by Emma. "Derek, sweetheart," she said, cupping his face in her hands. "We love you, and we trust you. We know you can do this." She was sending him vibes of calmness, trust and love, but Derek wouldn't let them influence him.

"I can't. I mean, what if I involuntarily prevent the changes in your relationships? The turn it took after that day?"

Brennan had come to stand behind Emma. "Your mom's right, son. We love you, and we trust you. And we also trust our love for each other. I mean, it was meant to be."

Derek locked eyes with his father, feeling the seriousness of his statement. Of course his parents were meant for each other. The bond they shared was incredible. He couldn't imagine it any other way. But deep inside, he couldn't help feeling a little…

"We know you're afraid," resumed Emma. Derek smiled despite himself. Trust his mom to be able to word his thoughts so easily. "But we have faith in you," she said as she let him feel the confidence they all had in him.

Derek finally nodded and turned around to face Adam. "Alright, do I have to change something about the explosion?"

Adam shook his head. "No, preventing the explosion would alter way too many things. We're going to send you back two days after."

Derek nodded, feeling a little better. Two days after the explosion meant after their first kiss. So, no reason to dread this part.

"You'll have to be very careful and stay quiet about your identity, meaning using only first names of course..."

"Yeah," interrupted Derek "no Mom, Dad, Aunt, Uncle. Got it." He looked over briefly at his parents before returning his attention to Adam.

"Right. Stay in Sanctuary as much as possible." When the older man saw Derek frown, he explained. "The less people you have contact with, the less repercussions it will have."

Derek nodded, and Adam went on. "Use your powers only if it's necessary and avoid making them visible."

"Of course. What's my mission anyway?" He asked. He felt stupid asking that, all the bad movies of secret agents coming back to him.

"All you'll have to do in the past will be to tell us about the Nolexin and to supervise the creation of the counter-agent," explained Adam.

Derek frowned. "I don't understand. Are you gonna believe me if you don't know who I am?"

"That's why you're keeping your ring. That will be sufficient proof that you're part of the future team."

Somehow it sounded wrong to Derek's ears. "You really believe that?"

Adam looked at him and sighed deeply. "Alright, the me from 2008 will certainly want to scan you."

"And then he'll know who I am."

"But what's the big deal?" intervened Brennan. "As long as he's the only one to know."

"And it would certainly ease our mind," added Emma. "I mean, in 2008. We trust you, Adam. I'm sure there wouldn't be a problem if the you from 2008 was backing up Derek."

At that moment, Jesse entered the lab, searching for Adam. "I just called Diana for the last preparations. Everything's set."

"Thank you, Jesse."

"By the way," inquired Derek "how do I come back?"

"With Emma's help, when she'll be up for it, I won't need more than two days to get the counter-agent ready," explained his uncle. "Diana will pick you up at that time."

Derek nodded.

"Jess?" Brennan was eyeing the molecular carefully. All the others occupants of the room followed the elemental's gaze. Jesse's face was contorted in pain. He suddenly fell to his knees, screaming.

"JESSE!" They all exclaimed at once.

But before they could make a move, he managed to articulate an audible "Stay back." Parts of his body were massing repetitively, and he didn't seem to be able to control it. He shut his eyes tightly, trying desperately to get his breathing back under control, but the pain was unbearable. It felt like his heart, his lungs, everything inside of him, were being compressed in a stronghold.

Alerted by the scream of the molecular, Shalimar came bursting into the lab, Jenny following close behind. The eyes of the feral went wide. "Jess..." she let out in a whisper.

"What's goin..." Jenny started to ask, breaking off at the sight in front of her. "Oh my god! JESSE!"

Without second thought, she attempted to move forward, but Shalimar stopped her. "Don't."

Jenny was ready to protest, but with a final gasp, Jesse finally collapsed to the floor, unmoving.

* * *

Emma was outside of the lab, watching the scene in front of her with tearful eyes. Jesse was laying unconscious on one of the exam beds, and Jenny was by his side, keeping watch over him. The psionic had entered his mind a couple of hours ago without telling the others, and had found that there weren't a lot of chances he'd wake up again. 

She suddenly felt conflicted emotions invade her mind. She turned around and saw Brennan coming her way. He stopped in front of her and glanced at the lab, before taking her in his arms.

"Talk to me," she whispered, knowing he had a lot in his mind.

He sighed deeply and kissed the top of her head. "I feel like... I don't know, I should go in there and... be there for her, I guess. I mean, I know what's she's going through," he said, tightening his embrace on Emma while remembering what had happened 22 years ago. "And at the same time, I know she probably doesn't want anyone else around. I was feeling so helpless back then, and I feel so helpless now. I hate that."

They stayed in each other arms a little while, enjoying the warm feelings of the other before Brennan spoke again. "Adam asked me to go pick up Diana."

Emma stepped back slowly and looked up at him. "I should stay here... in case something happens. Adam might need me."

Brennan nodded and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She watched him leave and then turned back towards the lab.

* * *

Anger, fear, powerlessness.

That's what he had felt the previous day when Julia had asked him what he could pick from their parents. And today he could percieve those feelings again. But much stronger this time.

And other emotions were coming his way.

Pain, loneliness.

Derek took a deep breath. His eyes were closed, and he was sitting cross-legged by the pond. He had never tried to block so many strong feelings at the same time before. He tried to push those emotions away, one by one, using the techniques his mom has taught him. He devoted almost all his energy to the task. It took him a long time, but he finally managed to clear his head, and he was able to sense a feeling hidden by the others until now.

Hope.

They were putting all their hopes on him. He couldn't fail.

He suddenly felt unfamiliar vibes coming his way and opened his eyes. Diana had arrived. Derek ran a hand through his hair and slowly got up. He would have to leave soon.

* * *

"March 7th 2008," said Adam to Diana. She nodded and took a couple of steps forward. They were in the middle of Sanctuary, almost everyone was there, only Jesse was missing, along with Jenny. Anjelica and Darien's parents were in the lab, and it didn't take a genius to see that Jesse's condition was deteriorating by the minute. 

Diana extended her arms when the vortex took shape and it grew.

Adam then turned towards Derek who was watching the whirlpool intensely. "Are you ready? You know everything?"

Derek simply nodded, his eyes glued to the vortex.

Clearing her throat, Diana stepped back to allow Derek to go through. The young man took one step and felt Adam lay a hand on his shoulder. He finally looked at him.

"We're all counting on you."

"I know," Derek nodded. He returned his eyes to the vortex and sighed deeply. "Here we go." He turned around a final time, fixing his gaze on his parents, and smiled at the vibes he was recieving from them before finally leaping into the vortex. It closed a few seconds after, and the room grew silent.

Several seconds passed, and the quietness of the place was suddenly disturbed by the sound of coughs, coming from Diana. All heads turned instantly towards her.

"Oh god." Adam approached her and gently took her arm. "Diana," he was almost too afraid to ask. "Since when have you been coughing like that?"

"Yesterday night," she replied when the coughs stopped.

This was not good. "What about your powers?"

Diana frowned. "What about them?"

"Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary? Did you have some problems using them?" Adam pressed.

"No, not that I can remember." She paused, assaulted by another fit of coughing. "What's going on, Adam?" she asked when finding her breath again.

"When's the last time you used your powers?" The older man avoided her question.

Diana thought about that. "I'd say two weeks ago."

Adam looked up in alarm at Shalimar, Emma, and Brennan. Their expressions were the same. Diana was obviously developping the symptoms caused by the Nolexin. She started to cough again, harder this time and finally blacked out.

It took the others a few seconds to register what had just happened. They eventually kneeled down by Diana's side, and Emma searched for Adam's face. "Adam... she wasn't controlling her powers anymore, was she?"

Adam didn't answer, but they all knew what that meant. They had absolutely no way of knowing when Derek had been sent.

* * *

The End. 

Okay, okay, just kidding.

TBC of course ;)


	5. Chapter 5

I know, I know, last update was months ago, sorry about that. But what can I say? Derek was lost in time, lol. More seriously, let's just say that I had tons of things to do, and updating kinda slipped my mind. And just to reassure you, as said previously, this story is a birthday present, so it will be completed. I'm currently working on chapter 8.

So, I highly recommend you to read at least chapter 3 and 4 again before starting this one, but I guess it's up to you. And I didn't stick to one version of Sanctuary, I just grabbed everything I needed, so it is some sort of mix.

Lastly, Josh, I have nothing against foreshadowing. On the contrary, when a story is planned from the beginning to the end (like it's the case for this one), it is quite interesting for an author to see what the readers can guess right or wrong. But, to be on the safe side and prevent the possibility of spoiling the fun for others, foreshadowing goes there -points at mailbox-.

And once again, your feedback is really heartwarming. Thank you all :)

See chapter one for disclaimer, summary and author's notes.

**Vibes of Time**

_By Milmiss_

  
Chapter 5

Brennan avoided Shalimar's punch and countered instantly with one of his own, but the feral blocked it effortlessly. She then turned around, and threw her foot in Brennan's direction, but the elemental dove and readied himself for his next move. They were sparring playfully in the dojo, like almost everyday. Jesse was upstairs, updating the database, and Adam and Emma were working in the lab.

Brennan dodged another attack of his teammate and was ready to reciprocate, but suddenly froze, his gaze fixed past Shalimar. The feral stopped abruptly, surprised by the break of rhythm. Turning around, she followed Brennan's gaze. Sure enough, a vortex was forming in front of them.

"Jesse," called Shalimar, not sure what to do.

The molecular had turned around in his seat, and was slowly getting up, eyeing the whormole carefully.

"Shal," started Jesse "you probably shouldn't..."

But his warning came too late, as someone suddenly apeared outside the vortex at a dangerous speed. He collided with Shalimar, sending them both rolling down the stairs.

"SHAL!" exclaimed both Brennan and Jesse, as they hurried towards the feral, who was lying on the floor.

The young man next to her slowly sat up, holding his head, obviously in pain. "Damn those design changes," he swore under his breath. He titled his head to the side and spotted Shalimar lying beside him. "Oh, god, Aunt Shal," he whispered, luckily too softly for the others to hear. _Well done, Derek_, he thought, slapping himself mentally. _Only first names, only first names, only first names_, He sang to himself as he got up and quickly closed the distance between him and the feral.

She was slowly straightening up her back. "Are you okay, Shal?" he asked, holding out his hand for her to take it.

She instantly looked up at him, frowning. "How do you know my name?" She eyed the hand in front of her, seeing a ring on one of his fingers, a ring very similar to the one she had, to the one they all had. Getting up by herself, her eyes turned feral. "Who are you?"

Before he could reply, someone else took the lead. "What's going on? Are you hurt, Shal?" Brennan asked, coming to stand beside the woman.

"No, I'm fine," assured Shalimar.

Satisfied by her answer, Brennan then turned towards the newcomer and shoot him another question. "How did you get here?"

"This one is pretty obvious, I think," replied the young man without thinking.

Brennan shot him a disapproving glare and channeled some electricity in one of his hands as a reply. "Just answer the question."

Derek eyed him carefully, sensing the feelings he was broadcasting. "Wow," he stepped back, holding his hands out in front of him. "Calm down, I'm not a threat."

The tension was soon broken by Jesse as he came up to them. He lifted his hand and spoke into his commlink. "Adam, you'd better come. We have a situation here."

* * *

Shalimar, Emma, and Brennan were standing upstairs, looking down through the window of the lab, when Jesse met with them. Derek was in the labchair, and Adam was standing next to him. 

"I have no trace of a mutant named Derek fitting his physical description in the database," informed the molecular.

"I knew it, he's hiding something," stated Brennan, his eyes still fixed on the scene that was taking place under them.

"Maybe he doesn't exist yet," ventured Emma. When she and Adam had arrived after Jesse's call earlier, Derek had told them that he was from the future and that he was here to "help," as he put it.

The others seemed to consider Emma's statement as Brennan spoke again. "Whatever. There's something strange about him."

"Yes, indeed," agreed Shalimar. She then let out an agitated sigh. "This is so damn frustrating! Why did Adam have to build Sanctuary so well? I can't hear anything!" She then turned towards her teammate. "Emma, tell me you can pick something from him."

The psionic fixed her gaze on Derek and used her powers... without success. She frowned. "He's... he's blocking me out." Derek lifted his head, and found Emma's eyes. The realization made her take a step backwards. "He knows what I'm doing," she said, looking at Shal.

"That makes him a psionic too, then," concluded Brennan. The others nodded and resumed watching what was going on inside the lab.

* * *

He had felt her trying to enter his mind and had blocked her so easily. He was dumbfounded. Somehow it made sense, her powers weren't as strong as in the future, but he would never have thought that he would someday have more powers than his mother. The thought made him chuckle slightly. 

"What is it?" asked Adam.

Derek was tempted to reply 'nothing', but he knew it would only increased the suspicion they all had in him, something he had felt since he had arrived.

"Emma," He replied. "She was trying to read me."

"You can tell?" asked Adam, surprised. "You're a psionic too," He guessed.

"Well, with the analysis you're about to do, you would have found out soon enough anyway."

"Why didn't you want the others to be present for that?" asked the older man, curious.

"You'll understand when you'll have the results," replied Derek evasively.

Frowning, Adam went back to his computer and launched the scan.

"Maybe you should sit down for what's about to come," suggested Derek, as they waited for the results.

"Why?" asked Adam, turning towards him. "You have alien-DNA?"

Derek smiled at that. "On the contrary, my DNA could be more familiar to you than you realize."

Adam was getting more and more confused by the minute, but the coming results prevented him from asking anything else of Derek. He started typing some keys, analysing what was displayed on the screen in front of him.

"Well, looks like you're not only a psionic," he commented, "But also..." He paused, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. "Wait a minute…" He said to no one in particular. Derek's DNA looked indeed familiar, way too familiar. He searched the database and made a couple of comparisons. "Oh my god..." He whispered, eyes fixed on the screen, not believing what was written.

"I warned you," said Derek matter of factly.

Adam turned around, still stunned.

"Nice to meet you too, Uncle Adam," He smiled in an attempt to ease the tension.

The older man approached Derek. "I can't believe it. I mean, sure, now I can see the resemblance, but..." He didn't really know what to say. "I can understand now why you were reluctant in letting them come in here."

"The results have to stay between us," Derek said nervously.

Adam nodded. "Of course, it wouldn't be very wise to let that out. But... don't you think Emma's going to find out? After all, she's a psionic as well."

"Don't worry about that. I can block her." Adam looked surprised. "She taught me a few years ago... I mean, she will teach me that in several years." _Damn, this is starting to get confusing._

Adam nodded and grinned as he watched him.

"What?" Derek asked.

"You do look a lot like them," answered the older man, still smiling.

Derek rolled his eyes.

Adam could take the hint. "Anyway, I didn't know they were seeing each other in the first place," He said, looking up at them. They really weren't acting like they were together. Taking his gaze off them, he returned his view to Derek. "But maybe they're not. I mean, not right now. Is that it?"

Derek didn't really know how to reply to that. Adam had made it perfectly clear not to let too many things out. He had to stay quiet. But the others would find out soon enough anyway. And now that he thought about it, what he was receiving from his parents was kind of strange, no feelings of well-being, like he was used to always feeling in the future, plus the fact that his mother didn't seem to feel weak for what had happened two days ago. The more he was focusing on them, the more agitated he grew. Something was definitely wrong.

"Tell me," Derek was almost too afraid to ask. "When are we?"

"When are we? What do you mean?"

"What's today's date?" He clarified.

"March 4th, 2008."

Adam's words rooted Derek to the spot. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He slowly got up and started to pace. "This can't be..." He muttered. "This is not possible." However, it made perfect sense. Nothing had happened yet. That's why they seemed so distant.

"What's the matter, Derek?"

The young man resumed his pacing, oblivious to Adam's question. He looked very tense, lost in his thoughts. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply.

"Derek," Adam tried again.

He looked up this time. It took him a few seconds to register what Adam had asked. "I... I shouldn't be here... now. I mean, I wasn't supposed to get here today." He saw Adam wanted to say something, but stopped him instantly. "And don't ask me when, I can't tell you that."

"I don't understand," said Adam. "Didn't you get here with Diana's vortex? That's what you told us." Derek nodded. "Then how can you not be when you're supposed to be?"

"I don't know," replied Derek "I remember perfectly well hearing you tell her the correct date." He saw Adam eyeing him curiously. "I mean, the you from the future." He rubbed his eyes with one of his hands, trying to remember what had been said, what had been done before he leapt into the vortex. The answer had to be there. "Diana formed the whormole, you came to me to make sure I knew what I had to do, then she stepped back to let me approach and you..." He suddenly broke off, eyes opening wide. "Oh my god!" It couldn't be a coincidence. He had heard her clear her throat before stepping back, and now he was three days earlier than planned.

"What is it?" urged Adam.

"I think I know what happened." But it also meant that Diana wouldn't be able to pick him up when he would be done in 2008. "I need to get in touch with Diana. The Diana from 2008," he clarified. "Otherwise I'm stuck here."

* * *

TBC 


	6. Chapter 6

I wasn't planning on updating that soon. You can thank Josh, it's indirectly because of her that you have a chapter today.

Also I realized that I completely suck when it comes to thanking people. Argh! Sorry about that. But anyway, thank you so much for your reviews! Still can't believe people, outside my closest friends, are reading and enjoying this story. Crazy! But in a very good way :)

See chapter one for disclaimer, summary and author's notes.

**Vibes of Time**

_By Milmiss_

Chapter 6

_Sanctuary, March 5th, 2008_

The sound of the alarm woke Derek up with a start the next morning. It took him a few seconds to remember where he was. Or more precisely when. He sat up slowly in his bed as Adam's voice echoed through the Sanctuary, requesting the team in the rec room as soon as possible. Derek looked at the room he had been assigned to, one of the spare rooms of the place, which was ironically enough at the same location as his parent's bedroom in the future.

His parents, the future: two notions which seemed so far away. His parents had told him how their relationships had evolved from the day they had met and joined the team: from friends, to confidents, to almost total strangers, to finally lovers. Save for the third point, it seemed like a common evolution according to Derek. He had always thought they were exaggerating the stranger thing, but watching them the day before only proved him that they were right; they were so distant towards each other! Almost hard to believe that a single event would completely change that. Really soon.

He felt a lot of agitation and instantly knew that the briefing had begun. Yet he made no move to get out of bed, already knowing what it was about. And also knowing that he should probably try to avoid the team as much as possible the next couple of days. After his discussion with Adam the previous day, the older man had gathered the team to ease the tension created by his appearance. The meeting had proven itself to be useful, at least a little. They had accepted his presence, it was better than nothing. But he could still feel mistrust coming from all of them, the feeling being stronger coming from Brennan and Shalimar. They had also launched a research to locate and contact Diana, which had turned out to be fruitless until now. He could only hope they would find her soon. He wasn't supposed to be here before the explosion, and he couldn't take the risk of changing something about it. So he figured the best way was to simply bury himself in a hole and wait until the storm had passed.

As he finally got up, he heard the turbines of the Helix warming up. His face darkened as he thought of what was awaiting them at the chemical factory. He stepped out of the bedroom, searching for Adam, and stopped dead in his tracks when he entered the rec room. _Damn, what are they still doing here?_ Adam had his back to him and was talking to Brennan and Jesse. They interrupted themselves when they spotted him and Adam turned around.

Jesse was the first one to speak. "Is he... is he coming with us?" He asked, surprised.

Adam didn't really know how to reply to that, so Derek approached them. Now that he was here, he could at least answer that. "No, I don't think it's a good idea. I can't risk interfering."

Jesse frowned. "Interfering? Interfering in what?"

_Oh-oh_. This was definitely not the reaction Derek had expected. More like something along the lines of "Well, okay, let's go then". They were all looking expectantly at him now. He had to say something. "I can't tell you. It might make things worse." Now, why did that sound so familiar?

But before he had the chance to put it in context, Brennan's voice broke his reflection. "Worse? What do you mean? What's going to happen?" asked the elemental, fixing his gaze on him. Derek looked back at him, at a complete loss of words. It was getting worse. The tension was almost palpable now.

But Shalimar's voice soon put an end to Derek's turmoil. "Guys, are you planning on joining us soon, or do we have to go by ourselves?" Her bored question came through the loudspeakers. She was always in a bad mood when she had to get up early.

"We're on our way," answered Jesse via his commlink, watching his teammate.

Brennan and Derek hadn't stopped looking at each other. "Don't even think about it," ventured Derek, "You all have to go there. There's no alternative." A hint of surprise crossed Bren's eyes, quickly replaced by some anger.

He was ready to reply when Adam spoke to him. "You know he's right, Brennan. We covered that already."

Brennan looked at the older man and finally nodded. He then returned his attention to the young visitor. "I won't say it twice, Derek. Stay out of my head," he said coldly, almost threatening. The comment, coming from his future father, hit Derek like a slap in the face. He took a step backwards, surprised by his outburst.

"Come on, let's go," urged the molecular. The two mutants then left quickly.

When they were out of sight, Derek sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "Don't worry, Derek," said Adam as he approached him. "He's just a little pissed off, that's all."

The remark made Derek chuckle nervously. "You think so? Just wait until they come back."

Concern was written all over Adam's face. "It's bad, isn't it?"

"You'll figure it out soon enough," answered Derek while checking his watch. "Look, I need to go outside for a little while... fresh air will surely do me some good. And," he added as an afterthough "don't worry, I'll stay in the creek." He then realized that he wasn't talking to the Adam he knew, the Adam from his time. "I mean, just call me, if you need me," he told him, showing him his right hand. He then exited the room, leaving Adam alone and worried.

* * *

It had taken Derek thirty minutes to hike down the mountain. But he didn't mind. Unlike his father, he enjoyed that kind of surroundings. Forests, woods, mountains, those were the perfect places for outdoors meditations because of their peacefulness. Hands in his pockets, Derek looked up at the sight in front of him. It was mid morning and the Stormking Mountain was only partially bathed in sunlight. The team had left almost an hour ago and it wouldn't be long before they came back.

Derek took a deep breath of fresh air and closed his eyes. He had spent a very restless night, tossing and turning in bed, the worst possible scenarii flashing in his mind everytime he tried to find sleep, imagining how his presence could worsen the situation even more.

He started walking on the shore, deep in thoughts. He had made a mistake earlier, using inappropriate words just by trying to tell them the least things possible. Now he could only hope that it wouldn't change something about their mission.

A great pain suddenly struck him down, knocking almost all air out of his lungs. He felt himself fall forward but managed to stay on his feet. He froze and shut his eyes tightly for a few seconds, trying to make the pain go away. When he fluttered his eyelides open, a single tear slid from his eye and he found it hard to breathe for a little moment. His mother was down, he could sense it. It meant that everything was happening as planned for now. And it was supposed to be a good thing! He put his face in his hands at that thought. Emma being hurt by the explosion had been one of the things involving not interfering in this event.

His heart was beating at a furious pace and he decided to head back. He wasn't sure how strong the connection to his mother could be in the past, but one thing was certain, he couldn't risk being subject to a more serious attack outside of Sanctuary.

* * *

Derek crossed hurriedly the hall of Sanctuary to get to his room but he suddenly froze, hearing Brennan call his name. He slowly turned around and spotted him at the other side of the hall. He had obviously just stepped outside of the lab. The feelings he was broadcasting were definitely not a good sign. _Oh god, I wish I had Darien's power right now_, thought Derek, full of apprehension.

A lot of things were running through Brennan's head as he got out of the lab but his worry for Emma predominated. Adam had ordered everyone out of the room so that he had some space to work, and the others had left a couple of minutes ago. Brennan had been a little more reluctant to leave Emma's side but had finally obeyed his leader when Adam had threatened to have Shalimar to make him leave. He was starting to pace up and down outside of the lab, when he saw Derek, apparently in a hurry. His anger instantly resurfaced.

"Derek!" He began walking towards him when the young man turned around. "Don't tell me you had no idea what was going to happen," He started loudly, "Because I know it's not true."

Before Derek could reply, Shalimar appeared out of nowhere, landing in front of Brennan, making him stop. He locked eyes with her, but quickly returned his attention to Derek. "Get out of my way, Shal."

"I won't," came the feral's reply. That made Brennan look at her again. "Look, I don't know what's going on here, I don't know why he's here or why he didn't do something to prevent what happened. I don't like it either. But I do know that if I don't stop you, you'll do something stupid."

Brennan watched the feral closely. He was sure he could make his way past her, but it wouldn't be without hurting her. Something he would never have the heart to do. He once again looked behind her. "Is she going to die?" he asked louder to Derek.

His only answer was to suddenly bend double, leaning his hand against the wall to support himself, visibly prey to dizziness.

_Wrong move_, thought Brennan. He cautiously hide one of his forearm behind his back and opened his hand, producing some sparks of electricity between his fingers that he threw at the wall. Shalimar didn't have time to react as it was already running through the metallic joints to finally crash into Derek, sending him flying a couple of meters behind because of his weak state. "BRENNAN!" The eyes of the feral took instantly a yellowish shade. She saw Derek lying on the floor but whatever behaviour she was ready to adopt just fell through by the agitated voice of Adam. "Brennan, I need you in the lab. NOW." Without hesitation, the elemental turned and jogged back to the lab.

Meanwhile, Shalimar approached the unmoving form of Derek, frowning. He should be getting up by now. Brennan hadn't send enough electricity to knock him unconscious. Yet he still wasn't showing any sign of recuperation. She kneeled beside him, her senses screaming at her that something was wrong. She shook him gently. "Derek"

In alarm, she realized that there wasn't any sound indicating that his heart was still beating.

* * *

As Brennan stepped into the lab, his blood ran cold. Adam was performing CPR on Emma.

"Her heart just stopped," stated Adam as he saw him.

Needing no further explanation, Brennan quickly made his way to them and took over Adam. He channeled some current in his hand and laid his hand over her chest, sending the electricity through her body. She arched but her vitals didn't change.

Brennan tried to stay calm as he readied himself for another try. "Come on, Em." He shocked her a second time and looked at the screen.

Still no changes.

"Don't you dare die on me," he whispered, finding it hard to keep a steady voice.

The third attempt had the same effect.

"DAMN IT," cursed the elemental loudly.

Sparks of electricity danced once again between his fingers and crashed against her chest. A couple of seconds passed, then her heart started beating again. Adam closed his eyes, relieved, and Brennan let out a deep breath, that he hadn't realized he had been holding.

* * *

"DEREK!" called Shalimar, nervously. She couldn't understand what was happening. She was sure Brennan hadn't hit that hard.

She was ready to start CPR, when Derek suddenly opened his eyes, breathing heavely. He was feeling slightly disoriented but soon realized that Shalimar was looking down at him.

"Derek, are you alright?" she asked while helping him sit. Damn, her feral senses were playing tricks on her. She would have to talk to Adam about it.

Derek looked at her for a little while, as if trying to understand what she had just said. "Oh, yeah, don't worry, I'm fine," he assured, running a hand through his hair. He suddenly remembered what had just happened and grew agitated.

Shalimar eyed him carefully and tried to apologize for Brennan. "He's... he's just scared, that's all," she affirmed as Derek braced himself and got up.

But the young man was completely oblivious to her now, replaying the events that had taken place just a few minutes ago. "I can't believe I didn't see it coming," he said out loud, shaking his head. "I would have done the exact same thing!" He then retreated to his room, never noticing Shalimar's puzzled expression.

* * *

Back in the lab, Brennan had his eyes fixed on the unconscious psionic. "Tell me she's going to be okay, Adam."

Adam paused, looking at him. With the results of the analysis he had made, he was unable to answer him, at least for now. But the fact that Derek was here was the irrefutable proof that she would indeed recover from this. But he couldn't talk about this aspect.

"The next twenty four hours will be decisive." Which was true actually, if Derek was staying out of the picture.

Brennan seemed to register the information and ran a hand though his hair. "If he's staying here one more day, I'm making no promises!"

"This is only your fear talking, Brennan," pointed out Adam carefully.

"Don't tell me I'm the only one here with some good sense!" protested Brennan.

"Listen," said Adam slowly "I can assure you that he means us no harm."

"Somehow, I find it hard to believe," he replied without emotion and leaned himself on the wall, watching Emma intensely. He wouldn't move until he was sure she was out of danger.

* * *

TBC 


	7. Chapter 7

No, you're not hallucinating. Here's the next chapter, longer than the previous ones. I hope you'll enjoy it. Feel free to tell me what you think :) And as always thanks for your comments until now, they mean a lot to me:)

See chapter one for disclaimer, summary and author's notes.

**Vibes of Time**

_By Milmiss_

Chapter 7

Shalimar awoke early the next morning. She hadn't slept a lot; she was too worried about Emma. Plus the whole Derek situation was really puzzling her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something felt odd somehow. Derek wasn't a threat, she could feel it, and Adam seemed to trust him. But she couldn't understand why the young visitor was acting that way.

She left her room, heading toward the kitchen in search of coffee when she spotted Adam coming out of the lab. He looked pretty tired.

"Did you spend the whole night in there?" It wouldn't really surprise her anyway.

He greeted her with a small smile. "Actually, no. I got up an hour ago. I went to check on Emma and ran a few tests."

"How is she?"

Adam seemed to hesitate. "Is Derek already awake?"

Shalimar frowned. "What?" She was a little taken aback by his question. "I... actually don't know. Do you want me to go check up on him?"

Shalimar's reaction made Adam realize his mistake, and he tried to explain. "No, it's not necessary. I was just wondering... seeing that everyone else is up. I asked Jesse to do an intensive search to locate Diana, and Brennan is still at Emma's side. He didn't move from his spot. I'm not even sure he closed his eyes once since it happened."

"How is she?" asked the feral again.

Adam sighed. "No change." Seeing Shalimar's pained expression, he added quickly, "But on the bright side, her brief cardiac arrest from yesterday didn't have any consequences."

She nodded and finally asked. "What is Derek doing here, Adam?"

"I can't tell you." Hell, he didn't even know why, he just knew who he was. He seemed genuinely sorry, but Shalimar shook her head and walked quickly past him. She felt him grab her arm so she turned around to face him again. "Shalimar, I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Well, I just wish I could understand," she answered bitterly.

"I know."

* * *

His eyes were fixed on her ring. He had been sitting at her side for hours now, holding her hand. It looked so small in his, so fragile, yet he wasn't aware of that. All he could see was the ring on her third finger and how it had changed both of their lives.

"Penny for your thoughts."

He abruptly turned around and saw Shalimar leaned against the doorframe.

"Shal." He paused. "I didn't realize someone was there." He then turned back towards the unconscious psionic.

"So I noticed," said the feral softly as she approached him. "Are you alright, Brennan?" she asked, concerned, as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

He didn't turn around this time. "Oh, yeah, don't worry, I'm fine." He said, running a hand through his hair.

The feral frowned, feeling by instinct something indescribable. Her senses were reacting wildly, but she couldn't understand why. She shook her head, pushing the feeling to the back of her mind, focusing on Brennan again.

"You seemed lost in thought."

"I..."

Somehow he didn't really feel like talking. The quietness of the place gave him a sense of security as if the mere act of talking could jeopardize Emma's condition. But he knew it was Shalimar's way of reassuring herself. She just had to say something. Unlike him, she wasn't one to stay quiet and calm in times of crisis. And strangely, he always thought he was like that too. He remembered that on many occasions he had been ready to break something, anything, and he always ended in the training room to pass his nerves on the punching bag when it wasn't some holograms in a simulation. Here with Emma it was completely different. It was like he was completely staggered by her state. He just wanted to stay by her side now that Adam had clearly stated only time would tell.

When Shalimar drew her hand back, he realized he had stopped in the middle of his sentence and looked at her feral teammate. Seeing her expression, it was evident she was waiting for more and he knew she would stick around until she was satisfied.

"I was..." He kept his voice down, as if he was afraid it would have some kind of effect on Emma's state, "…thinking back on the day we both joined Mutant X." He turned his attention back to Emma, afraid to miss the slightest change in her condition. "I was wondering how our lives would be like if she hadn't taken her ring that day."

Shalimar quietly sat down at the other side of Emma, facing Brennan. "Well, knowing Adam, he would certainly have completed the team with another psionic by now. And Emma would have been sent to the underground. New life, new city, new identity."

Brennan shook his head, she wasn't following him. "No, you don't understand. I accepted this ring," He explained showing her his hand, "The moment I was certain she was joining. I wouldn't be here if she hadn't said yes."

That was the last thing she expected to hear. She let a few seconds pass, pondering what he had just said. "What are you saying? That you didn't want to be part of the team?"

"I don't know. I mean, at the time I didn't know. But one thing I knew for sure was that when Jesse handed me the ring, I had to stick around and keep my eyes on her for a while. I was only waiting for her to give you guys an answer. But when I looked at her, I just..." He paused and smiled to himself. Yes, it was as simple as that. "I felt she would say yes."

"You felt it?"

Brennan began to absently play with Emma's ring, more talking to himself than to Shalimar.

"Something happened when we met. I don't know how to explain it, but she used her powers on me and it opened some sort of link between us that has never broken since. She wasn't controlling her powers at that time so that was probably the reason. But maybe... I always wondered, since it always seemed to go both ways, maybe I have a part of the responsibility too; maybe I didn't want to let her go that night. Since then, I always felt her here," he said, lightly tapping his temple.

"Yeah, you both always seemed to be on the same wavelength."

"You're talking in the past." It was a simple statement but it sounded like an accusation.

"I'm not talking about her current state. She's strong," she said, softly running a hand on the forehead of her friend. "She'll make it through, I'm sure. I meant that for months now you haven't really been on the best of terms anymore."

His fingers stopped, but he didn't look up. It felt like an eternity until she heard him whisper. "I know."

She studied him for a moment and seemed to make up her mind about something. "She didn't understand it, you know." She instantly had his attention again. "Something was... off with you. You changed. And I think she was the first one who noticed it. And the one who suffered from it the most. You completely brushed her off everytime she tried to talk to you about it. So she finally took the hint and just let you be."

"Did she talk to you?" he asked, surprised.

"Well, she couldn't talk to _you_ anymore," she answered matter-of-factly. When she saw him look away, she quickly added "But I actually went to her in the first place. I wanted to understand."

"Was it that obvious?"

"No. Yes... yes, it was. But we all chose to ignore it in some way. But I often wondered what caused it, you know. There was a really big change in your attitude after our first meeting with Ashlocke."

He knew where she was headed. How he had become closer to her. "I just had to distance myself from Emma somehow. For her sake."

He returned his attention to the psionic, silently ending the discussion. Shalimar understood, and she let it go, already surprised he had said that much.

She slowly got up. "You should tell her when she wakes up."

"Tell her what?"

"How you feel. Why you're here today." She paused. "What she means to you."

He didn't reply so the feral headed for the door. But her senses clearly made out the single word he whispered before she exited the lab.

"Maybe."

* * *

"What do you mean you can't find her?"

Jesse rubbed his eyes wearily. He had been in front of his computer for hours, and it looked like he wouldn't be done anytime soon. He turned around in his seat and looked at Adam. "Well, remember when we came back from the past? How she freaked out saying that Ashlocke would find her again, even if we gave her a new identity and sent her out of the state?"

"Yes, but she finally caved in. She stayed in one of the safehouses for a couple of days until you came up with new ID and location for her."

Jesse nodded and took over him. "But this was completely useless. I mean, there's no trace of her anywhere, she never used her credit card. I ran a search on her new ID and came up with absolutely nothing."

"It's impossible, she couldn't just have vanished."

"We have to find her." Derek's voice startled both of them.

He was leaning against the wall, his body turned towards the lab. He wasn't looking at them, but it was evident he was listening to them. "I can't stay here," He said, still looking at the scene taking place in the lab. He was starting to think that this mission was doomed for failure. Even if his parents had managed to convince him that he could succeed, he was now seriously starting to doubt it. And the fact that he still wasn't supposed to be here definitely wasn't helping. So many things had already happened because of his presence, and he hadn't even officially started his mission yet.

Adam watched him closely, a strange feeling creeping over him. He had the impression he was looking at Brennan. The young man had an expression he had seen reflected on Brennan on several occasions. He looked briefly at Jesse, wondering how he couldn't understand what was right before his eyes. "Listen," started Adam, putting a hand on Jesse's shoulder, "Why don't you double check the safehouses? Maybe there's a trace of her somewhere."

Jesse hesitated, pretty sure that this research wouldn't lead them anywhere, but he finally nodded at his leader. "Okay," He agreed and returned to his computer while Adam walked closer to Derek, who still hadn't moved an inch.

"You have nothing to feel responsible about," said the older man, trying to keep his voice low so that Jesse wouldn't hear them.

Derek kept his eyes fixed on the inside of the lab as he answered him. "Really? He wasn't convinced, "I knew what was going to happen. I could have stopped it."

"But you obviously weren't supposed to. Seeing your reaction when you arrived, I guess you being present for this... event wasn't planned." He paused and decided to change his approach. Derek was feeling guilty for what had happened to his mother even if he wasn't responsible. And just like Brennan, he wouldn't be able to prove him wrong. Fighting Brennan's stubbornness had never turned out well anyway. Thus he opted for something smoother. "And as long as you're okay, she'll be fine."

"Still." Derek finally turned his head towards him. He had tears in his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to protect the ones you love?"

Adam couldn't come up with a reply. That was something he hadn't expected. Brennan had never been one to display his emotoins, but again, he was dealing with Emma's son too, he reminded himself.

"Still nothing." Jesse's voice interrupted them.

This made Derek react, and he distanced himself from the wall to come to stand next to the molecular. "Did you try checking the police stations?"

Adam followed him, still deep in thought. No more than a couple of seconds ago he was prey to his emotions and now it was like nothing had happened, he was almost taking the lead of the research. That was very impressive. He would certainly make a very good leader later.

"Launching this kind of research in the whole country will take days," reasoned Jesse.

Derek let out a frustrated sigh. There had to be some way to find her. Where could she be…? Then it hit him. "Stick to the surroundings. Make that a 6 miles radius." He paused. "She's close."

Diana was the 14th victim, meaning she was relatively close to the explosion when it took place. Even if there were other constants, the geographic one had proven itself correct until now. Jesse eyed him curiously, and Derek dismissed it with a wave of the hand. "Don't ask."

* * *

"Emma's awake."

The message from Brennan was a relief for everyone in Sanctuary. Adam was already in the lab, checking Emma's vitals, and Shalimar and Jesse were on their way. Derek had preferred to stay aside, feeling that his presence would certainly not be welcomed, mostly by a couple of people. But the relief in his father's voice had just removed a heavy burden from his shoulders. He put his face in his hands and let out a deep, long sigh. He finally got up and headed to the training room, decided to relief the tension building since the day before.

Back in the lab, Adam was giving his advice to Emma after making sure she was fine. "I'm keeping you here under observation until tomorrow." He instantly cut the protest that was about to come from her. "I want to make sure there won't be any relapse. Also I'm putting you in convalescence for 2 to 3 weeks because of those two bruised ribs. And that's not open to discussion."

After the usual sweet talk, they all started to leave, but Emma managed to grab Brennan's hand before he could go out of reach.

"Brennan." He stopped and looked at her. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For staying with me when I was uncounscious," she said simply.

He was too confused to even try to deny this fact. "How do you know?"

"I..." She paused, not sure how to voice it, and looked at his hand in hers. "I must have felt it." He followed her gaze to their joined hands. "It was... comforting."

He returned his attention to her, sending her a tiny smile. "I'm glad you're alright."

"I know," she replied seriously.

"I'm sorry."

This had come from nowhere and it was her turn to be confused. "For what?"

"I should have prevented what happened."

Emma watched the elemental closely. She could sense the guilt radiating from him. He was feeling responsible. But she had no idea why. "Brennan, it's not your fault. How could you have prevented it? You weren't even with us!"

"That's just the problem," He replied. "I should have teamed up with you."

"Well, it's not like it's unusual for you to team up with Shalimar and me with Jesse," she said matter-of-factly.

"You're right, it's not now. But it would have been at the beginning." She felt his hand squeeze hers lightly as he diverted his eyes from her face. "And to believe I thought you would be safer without me close to you. I stayed away from you and you got hurt anyway."

"What?" she asked, frowning. He was mostly talking to himself but she had heard him right. "Brennan, what are you talking about?"

He had just crossed the point of no return. He turned his head back towards her. He couldn't hide behind sharp comments anymore. Making up his mind, he let go of her hand and reached for a chair. He couldn't keep pretending she meant nothing to him; the act he had been trying to keep up seemed pointless now. He sat down next to her and looked down at his hands. It felt like the right time to tell her.

He finally began. "Look, Emma, I..." He interrupted himself, hearing the psionic's stomach rumbling. Both mutants looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Oh my god, I'm sorry," Emma apologized, grimacing a little because of the pain the laughter had awoken.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," assured Brennan, still smiling, while getting up. "I'll bring you something to eat."

"Weren't you gonna say something?" she asked before he had a chance to make a move.

He looked seriously at her.

The right time...

A couple of seconds passed before he replied to her. "Forget it, it's not important."

... Or maybe not.

"Really?" she let out, unconvinced.

"I'll be right back," he eluded and exited the lab.

* * *

The elemental crossed the living area of Sanctuary where Jesse had returned to his computer and headed to the kitchen. He stopped when he saw Shalimar sitting on the stairs in front of him, watching him expectantly. When he realized she had no intention of speaking, he exclaimed "What!"

"What are you doing?" she countered slowly.

"Emma's hungry, I'm bringing her something to eat," he answered simply.

She glared at him. "I'm not talking about that and you know it."

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to find a way to put an end to this discussion. "Look, Shal, it's complicated, okay?"

"This is not complicated. This is completely ridiculous." She got up and walked down the stairs, coming to stand in front of him. "Just tell her, Bren. You both wasted enough time already." She walked past him and headed to her room, leaving Brennan to ponder what she had just said.

* * *

Brennan returned to the lab fifteen minutes later with a tray in his hands. Upon entering, he slowed down his pace when he realized that the med bed was empty. He looked around and spotted Emma standing at the other side of the room.

"Wow, wow, wow. What are you doing up?"

She turned around and guiltily walked back to the bed. "I went to freshen up a little, if you must know."

"Oh. Sorry," he offered, sheepishly.

"It's okay," she replied, while hopping on the bed. The movement made her wince with pain a little.

"See? You need to stay in bed, at least until tomorrow. That's what Adam said."

She was ready to reply with a light remark but she suddenly froze. There it was again. This feeling of culpability, radiating from him. She eyed him as he put the tray on the table next to her and sat back down on the chair.

"I don't understand," she began. She had decided to find out what the problem was. "Why are you feeling responsible?"

Brennan's head snapped back to her. "Well, I am. I created this situation."

"What situation?" she asked, completely clueless.

"Do you remember the last time we had a heart-to-heart talk with each other?" It was a rhetorical question, she instantly felt it... and she couldn't agree more. They had been avoiding each other these past few months, getting at each other for the stupidest things.

She shifted nervously, she wasn't sure she still wanted to know. But she had prompted him after all. "Okay, I'm listening," she cleared her throat, uneasy.

"I never cared about someone until I met you. I mean, _really_ cared. From the moment my mom died, I had built a carapace and, well, it shattered the second we bumped into each other that night. When you used your powers to make me feel your fear, I instantly felt bound to you and felt the need to protect you. But you disappeared right away. I almost thought I had imagined it all. But when you came back the next day, I knew it was fate. And I just couldn't let you walk out of my life again. Even if it meant living inside a mountain and protecting mutants for a living."

Emma opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? That he had joined Mutant X because of her? She was finding it hard to breathe, the emotions she was feeling from him were so intense. Guilt, pain, loneliness, apprehension, lo... She suddenly remembered to breathe and managed to focus on his speech again.

"... happen. And I brought you in that club and you got killed. And I hurt you by using my powers against you. When our powers mutated all at once, that's when I realized I had to do something because it would get even more dangerous than it already was. For you. So I figured the best way was for me to stay away from you. Whatever it took. And it was killing me inside to keep up the act day after day, to see you getting colder and colder around me. But as long as you were safe that wasn't important. Because I was protecting you. That's what I kept telling myself. What I..."

"Brennan..." she let out with difficulty, interrupting him. That was the only thing she had managed to articulate. And now that he was looking at her again, her ability to speak seemed to have completely vanished. She tried again, without success. So she did the only thing that could convey what she wanted to say. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. She soon felt his hand tentatively cup her face as he softly deepened the kiss.

* * *

Jesse yawned loudly. He reached for his mug and drank what was left of his coffee in one long sip. He typed a few more keys and studied the content of what had just appeared on the screen. He shook his head slowly and cast a glance across the desk at Derek. The young man had returned not too long ago and was in front of the other computer, basically following his research.

"Are you sure she's still around?" The molecular asked, breaking the silence.

Derek absently nodded. He was also reading the last piece of information, information not leading anywhere, like the previous ones. "Maybe we're not looking for her the right way," He advanced. He looked at Jesse as he went on. "She's obviously not using her real name nor her new ID."

The molecular carried on his brainstorming. "She's not in any of the safehouses, thus she needs to find ways to provide for her own needs. And there weren't any police reports about people matching her physical description."

"Could someone be helping her?" He paused. "How about relatives?"

Jesse nodded, returning his attention to his computer. "That's a good point."

Several minutes passed, only broken by the rhythm of the keys pressed by Jesse. He looked briefly at Derek. "I think this..."

He stopped instantly.

Derek was still looking in his direction, only his expression was completely different now. He was smiling widely.

"What?" Jesse inquired with a frown.

Derek didn't react, so the molecular slowly turned around, almost expecting to see someone behind him. But the hall was empty. He faced Derek again, to find him still staring dreamily at him. The situation was seriously getting uncomfortable.

"Derek," the molecular tried again and this time it worked.

The young man scraw up his eyes and Jesse clearly saw his cheeks flushed slightly. "Sorry, you were saying?" asked Derek, clearing his throat and trying to clear his mind. He had been caught completely off-guard by the warm feeling coming from his parents. Usually his mother for the most part blocked those vibes, but for now he would just have to build thicker walls. But he couldn't get rid of his smile; it seemed to take its course despite his presence.

Jesse let a few seconds pass before answering him. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he was starting to understand what Shalimar meant about the strange behavior of the visitor.

* * *

Surrounded by darkness in his room, he couldn't find sleep... again. He could almost believe he was back in 2030. If it wasn't the middle of the night, he would almost expect Darien to come bursting in his room to tell him about the lastest prank he did on his sister, or Julia asking him for a one on one. But everything was quiet. There wasn't anything to divert his mind from the one and only thing he wanted to do right now, to check on his mother. She was out of danger now, he knew that. Better yet, he could feel it. But he just had to see her. And he wouldn't risk bumping into someone in the middle of the night.

He quietly left his room and made his way to the lab soundlessly. He was ready to enter but froze upon seeing the scene in front of him. He swore silently but remained where he was. He should have known his father would have stayed. He was still in his chair and his eyes were closed, Emma's right hand resting in his.

Outside, Derek was once again debating what to do. The last encounter with his father had been anything but smooth, but a quick glance in their minds told him that they were both asleep. The hesitation was still there, but he figured that a couple of minutes in the lab wouldn't do much harm.

He slowly headed toward them and stepped to the other side of the bed as quietly as possible. He took his mother's hand in his and let his eyes wander over her sleeping form. He had been holding his breath since he had found out about his early arrival. So many things had happened during those two days, and he had to witness it all from a distance.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do something. I wasn't supposed to. He wouldn't have realized how pointless it was to stay away from you if you hadn't been hurt."

He had whispered those words, without really meaning to and he felt slightly better now even if he knew that she hadn't heard him. Things were going well for his parents and Jesse had managed to locate Diana earlier in the evening. His mission would officially start the day after and unlike several hours ago Derek was pretty confident. There were only two more days to go, and then he would be back in his time.

"What are you doing here?"

The question was sharp, full of animosity. Brennan hadn't talked loud yet it took Derek completely by surprise. He didn't even try to recognize the voice and just reacted, instinctively putting himself on the defensive by creating a small white orb surrounded by a couple of filaments of electricity in front of his forehead.

"What the...?"

Derek turned his head and instantly made his orb disappear as he saw his father getting up. But it was already too late, sparks of electricity appeared between the fingers of Brennan's free hand.

Derek cursed and diverted his eyes from his father. Of all the things he could have done, this one was probably the worst. His father had seen it, even if it wasn't for more than a second. And when the anger vanished, he would certainly figure it out.

"I..." Derek tried to find something to say even though he had no idea what could erase what he had just done.

But it didn't seem to bother Brennan one bit. He didn't care at all about what the young man in front of him had to say.

"I'm serious, Derek." The same decisive tone as before. "Stay away from her."

"You mean like you did all this time?" He instantly countered. He briefly closed his eyes as soon as the words left his mouth. No, this was probably the worst thing he could have done.

Surprise and confusion appeared in Brennan's eyes, and Derek clearly saw the electricity lose some of its intensity.

"I'm sorry," blurted out the young man. "I..." He needed to get out of here if he didn't want to worsen the situation anymore, even if he doubted it could get worse now anyway. He softly let go of his mother's hand, looked briefly at his father and muttered the words, "Good night."

He was out of the lab in the blink of an eye.

* * *

TBC 


	8. Chapter 8

Let's just skip the whole "so sorry for not updating sooner" thing. If some of you are still around, I guess you're waiting for the chapter, so I won't make you wait longer. Oh, just letting you know that if you want to read two chapters in a row, you just need to wait a few more days. Chapter 9 will be uploaded during the week-end. :)

See chapter one for disclaimer, summary and author's notes.

**Vibes of Time**

_By Milmiss_

Chapter 8

Brennan typed a few more keys, launching a new search. From the moment he had first seen Derek, something had clicked inside him. A strange sensation had overtaken him, something he had been unable to describe. With each passing day, this sensation had grown, reaching its climax the night before. Now, more than ever, he was determined to find out the whole truth about the time traveller. What he had witnessed several hours ago only meant one thing. Derek had at least two mutations. He was sure the orb had appeared after the sparks of electricity, like two different entities. He was psionic and elemental. This was giving him another clue. But he let out a frustrated groan when the new search turned out to be unsuccessful. If Derek wasn't in the database because he was born after 2008, there still had to be some indications somehow. Were both his parents psionic and elemental too? Or was one of them psionic, and the other elemental? Or was it possible they were non-mutants? It would mean that there still would be experiments on normal human beings in the future. His research would be easier if he could talk to Adam, but it wasn't an option.

He was still racking his brain about it when he heard the door of the lab opening. He hastily cleared the computer screen, making his research disappear. He turned around and greeted Adam, instantly tensing when he saw that Derek was following him.

"Are you sure about that?" asked the older man doubtfully.

"I wouldn't..." Derek stopped briefly, also surprised to see his father in the room, before forcing himself to focus on Adam again. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"Yes, but I mean, there wasn't anything wrong two days ago." Adam had taken Brennan's place in front of the computer and was looking for the last scans of his team members. The elemental had taken a few steps back and was watching the scene silently. When the results of the scans appeared on the screen, Adam turned towards Derek to call him up on it.

The young man shook his head. "Thing is, you have only a small amount of information here," He explained. "It's definitely enough most of the time, but not in this case, I'm afraid. There was no way you could have seen it if you weren't looking for it in the first place."

"What's the product again?"

"Nolexin."

Adam seemed to ponder the answer. "Doesn't really ring a bell," He admitted. "So you're saying they've been exposed?" Derek nodded firmly. "That's strange. We ran a search in the database of the place and never came up with a product called Nolexin."

"It's illegal. They wouldn't have listed it, would be too easy to track them down." Derek explained. "Anyway, there are a lot of things to do. Starting by scanning everyone again, looking specifically for the Nolexin, of course." He seemed to remember his father was in the room. It was time to get everything started. "Da..." Turning around, he saw the warning look on Adam's face and realized what he was saying. "Diana," he started again. "How far have we got with her?"

Adam lost no time in answering him. Derek's slip of tongue would hopefully go unnoticed that way. "Jesse should be contacting her as we speak."

Derek nodded. "That's good."

Brennan's attention was focused on the screen until now, but hearing about Diana called him back to the current conversation. "So, you're leaving soon?"

The tone was surprisingly not as harsh as before. It sounded more curious, interested. That was something Derek wasn't expecting.

"I hope so," He finally replied. He left it at that; it was better not to try to explain, he could say too much. He turned his attention back towards the computer. "You should start scanning the team," He told Adam while initializing the scanner with the properties of the Nolexin. "I'll go see what the news is on Diana." He hit a couple more keys, locking the instrument. "There. All set."

Adam and Brennan were left alone in the laboratory. The elemental was about to try to get some more information on Derek from Adam but decided against it when he saw the grave look on his face. "You think it's bad?"

The older man nodded slowly. "I'm afraid so. If the people who sent him were ready to take the risk of changing the course of time, it bodes no good." He paused. "I'm going to start by scanning you," He said, gesturing towards the med bed. "Then I'll scan the others and we'll see what we're really dealing with."

* * *

"I'm surprised you're asking in the first place," Diana told Jesse through the computer. "Last time you forced me to help you. I had no say in this. Your friends went back in time and look what happened. Your precious Sanctuary was destroyed, don't you remember?"

"Of course I do," admitted the molecular. "But we made the timeline right again."

Diana didn't let him time to say more. "But it was a close call. Way too close. I'm not taking the risk again."

"This is different, Diana. He's already there. He needs your help to go back to his time."

She let out an irritated laugh. "Well, he shouldn't have come here in the first place. This is not my problem."

Derek suddenly appeared next to Jesse, startling both mutants. "You're wrong, Diana. This is as much your problem as mine. As everybody else's here."

"You must be Derek." She paused as he nodded. "What do you mean it's my problem?"

"I was sent here to prevent a disaster that will affect a lot of people," he explained slowly, choosing his words carefully. "Including you. I would understand your position if it was only about me but it's not only my future at stake here, nor only theirs either," He added, gesturing at Sanctuary. "But yours also."

"And why should I trust you?"

Derek sighed imperceptibly. Damn Adam for telling him to limit the utilization of his powers. This would have been over in no time. Instead of that, he would have to convince her without any telempathic help: because his mother wasn't supposed to know the exact date he left in the future, he couldn't ask her to do it either.

* * *

"My god…" Adam and Emma were watching the results of the simulation displayed on the screen. It was unquestionable; the Nolexin was deadly to new-mutants. Not instantly though. The incubation period was of approximately 20 years. But the repercussions would be disastrous if nothing was done.

Emma reached for the papers Adam had printed and checked the information they had on the Nolexin. "How long do we have? To elaborate the counteragent?"

"Not long," Adam stated gravely. "Derek said it was only a matter of days. The Nolexin is not an integral part of your organism yet. It's still a foreign body. But the longer we wait the less chance we'll have of getting rid of it."

"What is supposed to happen without the counteragent exactly?"

Adam and Emma turned to look at Brennan. He hadn't left the lab and was trying to make sense of what he was watching. They looked at each other and Adam spoke. "To sum up, if we don't do something now, the Nolexin will be the death of new-mutants in a couple of decades."

"Death?"

"Do you think that's what happened in the future?" Emma asked.

"I'm not sure exactly how much happened before Derek went back in time, but they couldn't have figured it out if everything had gone fine."

"We're maybe dead," whispered the psionic. Warm hands instantly found their place on her shoulders. Brennan had come to stand right behind her.

"Well, what is sure is that it would never have occurred to us in our time if Derek hadn't pointed it out," Adam stated, looking at them and noticing their closeness.

"So, that's why he's here, right?" Emma ventured. "He's trying to…"

"… save us all." Brennan finished her thoughts.

Adam nodded, smiling inside. Last time he had seen them acting so in touch with each other had been months ago, maybe even more. Funny thing is that he would probably not have paid attention to it if he hadn't known that Derek was their son.

Brennan sighed.

"What is it, Bren?" Emma asked, turning around. But the elemental looked at Adam.

"I tried to tell you." Adam said. "You wanted to protect the people you care about. But you didn't listen."

Emma frowned, looking at both men. "Wait, did I miss something?"

"I had a little altercation with Derek when we came back from the chemical factory," explained Brennan.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I… hit him with some electricity."

"What?!"

"Shal tried to stop me but…"

"Is he okay??" Emma interrupted.

"Yes, it was just a few volts. You were lying here unconscious. I didn't think."

"Still! He didn't deserve that."

"I know," he replied automatically. But then he paused. "But why are you reacting like that? I mean, you don't even know him."

"I… I don't know," She conceded. "It just… it feels wrong somehow."

A few seconds passed and Adam chose this moment to interrupt. It was becoming harder and harder to keep Derek's identity a secret. "Emma, we need to get started on the counteragent."

"Right."

"You sure you're up for it?" Brennan asked, his voice filled with concern.

The psionic smiled. "I am. It's still sore, but I'll be fine."

The elemental nodded, kissed the top of her head and left them to work.

* * *

The talk with Diana had lasted quite some time but she had finally caved in. Next step was to get done with the counteragent. Heading to the lab, Derek decided to take a quick stop by the kitchen. He entered the room and came face to face with his mother.

"Derek."

"Hey." He smiled. "I'm glad to see you back on your feet." That was such an understatement; he wanted to hug her right now.

"Yes, I'm feeling much better, thanks." She paused and instantly remembered the talk she had with Brennan earlier. "Look, I heard what happened… with Brennan."

"What do you mean?" he asked, a little apprehensive. If his father hadn't figured out his identity yet, his mother would certainly make the connection in no time when she learned what his powers looked like. But he was relieved by her next words. Clearly they had not talked about this specific event.

"He told me the voltage was low, but still… are you feeling okay?" she inquired, genuinely concerned. She had taken a step forward without thinking and raised her arm naturally. She seemed to come back to her senses as she stopped in mid-air and finally let her hand drop back to her side.

"I'm fine," answered Derek as he felt the awkwardness coming from her at the realization of her actions. He decided to break the tension and thus headed towards the fridge to retrieve a bottle of water.

"This is all wrong. I don't know what it is but I have the feeling that it was the worst thing he could have done."

Derek still had his back to her, but her words hit him at full force. The truth in her statement made him tense slightly. It had indeed hurt him. Emotionally. Even if he was sure his father would never have done something like that if he had known who he was.

"I guess that doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"No, it makes perfect sense," He replied absently. He picked a bottle and turned around, closing the fridge. "I mean, don't worry about it. Seriously. I'm fine," He assured her with a smile.

She smiled back and silence settled on the room. They stared at each other for a long moment until Derek cleared his throat. "We should go back to the lab. Adam surely needs a hand."

Emma nodded but didn't move as she watched Derek leave. It definitely didn't make sense. She was feeling the urge to comfort him when she was looking at him. And it felt natural. She had wanted to take him in her arms a few minutes ago, instinctively.

_

* * *

It feels wrong somehow._

The words kept echoing in his head. Brennan had been boxing in the training room for an hour now and he was still focused on the thought. That's what Emma had said about him zapping Derek. And thing is, she was right. He hadn't paid attention to what he was feeling until she mentioned it. He knew he had overreacted, and he actually felt bad about it. But more importantly he felt bad for having hurt Derek, as if something inside of him had been hurt as well. As if he was important to him. Yet that didn't make sense. Unless he somehow knew him in the future.

He stopped, breathing heavily and reached for the punching bag to still its movement. There might be a way to find out. He quickly got rid of his boxing gloves, grabbed his towel and bottle of water and left the training room.

* * *

"He did what?!" Shalimar exclaimed, laughing.

Jesse sighed; he had just related what had happened with Derek the day before. "I knew I shouldn't have told you."

The feral put her hand on her mouth to control her laughter.

"I'm glad that amuses you," said Jesse sarcastically.

She finally calmed down but couldn't keep the laughter from her voice. "Sorry. But that was quite unexpected."

"Tell me about it."

Shalimar smiled mischievously as she made her next move, leaning slowly towards him. "Well, you're pretty cute, I'll grant you that."

"Come on, Shal." He waited until her laughter died again. "This was some kind of misunderstanding."

"No kidding! Guess he was thinking of someone else while looking at you. Or…"

Jesse shot her a warning look, raising his hand in a 'don't even go there' manner.

"What?" asked the feral innocently. "He could have a crush on you."

"Yeah, sure. And he could be my son too for all we know. No, it's just what you said. He's what, 20? Must have been thinking of his girlfriend in the future."

Shalimar chuckled. "Yeah, probably. But stil... wait, what did you just say?"

"That he was daydreaming about his girlfriend."

"No, I…"

She paused. It had never occurred to her that Derek could be related to one of them. But that's when it all came back to her. It was like the missing piece of the puzzle. Everything was making sense now: the attitude, the gestures, the strange feeling of familiarity she was feeling from him, how his heart had stopped beating exactly when…

"Oh my god…"

The feral sprang to her feet and ran away not leaving Jesse time to react.

The molecular watched her leave, completely clueless. "Okay, what did I just say?"

* * *

Arms stretched with his palms resting against the floor, Derek took a deep breath and spread his legs apart. Several beads of sweat appeared on his forehead and torso, making him wonder why he was working out in the first place. _To kill some time_, he answered himself. Now that Emma and Adam had launched another test, they had to wait. Derek started to bend one of his legs and attempted to change position. It was the last exercise his father had shown him back in 2030, and he still had trouble getting it right. If it was just up to him, he would be playing the guitar. But his was back in 2030 and using the one his father had in 2008 was probably not a very good idea. He put one of his hands behind his back and slowly lowered his body weight. He was ready to push back up when the door suddenly busted open. Startled, Derek lost his balance and fell heavily on the floor. Shalimar was now in the room, looking down at him.

"Don't you ever knock?" He asked, exasperated, while getting up and checking his articulations.

"Sorry," she replied automatically. "I just…" She stopped. Derek had just turned around to pick the towel lying on his bed. She looked at his back and noticed a Celtic symbol tattooed between his shoulders blades. She shook her head smiling.

He turned around. "Well? You wanted something?"

"I can't believe I didn't grasp that sooner."

"What?" he asked, hesitant, not liking the fact that she couldn't stop smiling.

"It was so evident," she resumed, not really answering him. "You look so much like them."

Derek's blood ran cold. _Play it cool, man_. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Stop playing with me, Derek. I can see it. I can feel it. The same looks, the same gestures…"

His face hardened and he went to close the door. He then went to retrieve and pull his shirt on. "And what can you feel exactly?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you? You're a psionic, you seem to have a tendency to speak without thinking, and now this…" She gestured at him for what she had just witnessed. "You might as well say that you like Walt Whitman's poetry."

Derek shook his head. "It's getting worse and worse," he started, talking to himself more than to Shalimar. "I knew it. It was doomed from the start."

"I don't understand. What are you so worried about? What's the matter if I know about you? About them?"

"I don't know," He conceded, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "But you weren't supposed to find out."

The feral stood there for a moment, watching him thoughtfully. He couldn't be more than twenty, and yet he had the lives of all the new-mutants on his shoulders. He was obviously trying his hardest not to worsen the situation in the future. And it was taking its toll of him. She finally settled down on the bed beside him.

"I had heard you right the first time," She realized. "You called me 'Aunt Shal'."

Derek smiled despite himself. "Yeah. Old habits die hard, I guess. I'm just so used to it, you know?" He said, looking at her.

"I thought my senses were acting crazy. First this and then when your heart stopped beating…"

Derek winced slightly at the memory.

"You know it wasn't personal, right? He had no idea." When Derek didn't reply, she went on. "You're alright?"

"Can you all just stop asking me that?!" He exclaimed, getting up. "I'm fine!" Well, maybe he wasn't _that_ fine, he knew he'd have to work on this issue at some point, but right now the Nolexin was the priority. He would deal with his feelings later. He rubbed his eyes vigorously to prevent a few tears from falling before turning to face Shalimar again. "It's just hard to adjust to all of that. I mean, I almost called my father 'Dad' earlier." He shook his head. "I was so engrossed in what I was doing…"

"Don't worry, no one else knows."

"And it has to stay that way. I mean, you knowing is already gonna affect the continuum. If more variables change, the world I'll get back to will be completely different."

"Your world. Your time. So, how is it? What do we look like? Do you have brothers and sisters?"

Derek chuckled. "I'm not answering that."

Shalimar smiled. "You started it; you called me 'Aunt Shal'. We're family. I'm just trying to get used to the idea." She paused. "Do I have kids?"

The young man shot her a disapproving glare and sat back down next to her. "It's gonna be hard for you to find questions I'll actually answer." He laughed. "But feel free to keep trying."

"How about what happened with Jesse yesterday?"

Derek's laughter died instantly at the unexpected question and was replaced by Shalimar's when she saw his reaction. But he eventually smiled: for the first since his arrival, he was finally able to relax.

* * *

Getting out of his room freshly showered and dressed, Brennan spotted Jesse coming out of the lab. "Hey, Jess!"

"What's up?"

Brennan crossed the hall and met Jesse at one of the computers. "I need you to do something for me."

Jesse sat back on his chair. "What do you need?"

Brennan didn't reply right away, as if he was trying to decide if it was really the right thing to do. "Can you hack into Adam's files?" He asked, lowering his voice a little.

The molecular frowned. "Why?"

"He scanned Derek a few days ago. Since he saves ours, I guess his is on the database as well."

"This is not a good idea," Jesse stated, shaking his head.

"Come on, there's something about him. He knows too many things."

The molecular tried to reason his teammate. "He has a commlink, Brennan. It certainly means he's part of Mutant X in the future. Of course he knows about us."

"It's more than that." Jesse looked at him expectantly, but the elemental was at a loss of words. "I don't know!" Brennan exclaimed. "I just… I have this… feeling…" He let out a frustrated sound. "His scan could help us understand."

Jesse didn't say anything, but his look showed he was clearly against the idea.

"Don't tell me you're not wondering about his behaviour!"

Again, Jesse was silent but for a totally different reason this time. Saying that Derek wasn't a mystery to him would be lying. Maybe learning more about him would indeed explain a lot of things.

Seeing his change of expression, Brennan took the seat opposite him. He had a feeling he was about to make him change his mind.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?"

Shalimar was coming towards them, curiously looking from one to the other. When staring at her they involuntarily took on a guilty expression.

Brennan quickly gauged the situation and decided to tell the feral. "We're taking the situation into our own hands."

"What do you mean?"

"About Derek. I think we have a way of knowing his story."

Shalimar tensed and was next to them in an instant. "This is a bad idea. Adam was clear on that. He told us what we needed to know." She wasn't about to let them worry Derek even more than he already was for what would be awaiting him in the future. Now that she knew who he was, she couldn't help acting protective towards him.

"And you're not curious about the fact that he seems to know us like the back of his hand?"

She had to think fast. Maybe offensive was the best way to handle that. "What has he done to you anyway?"

Brennan blinked, surprised by the feral's reaction. "This is not against him!"

"No, but this is for you! You want to find out at any cost, but you're not thinking of the consequences. Has it ever occurred to you that it could have bad repercussions on the future if you knew? If we knew?" She corrected herself.

Brennan didn't reply. He had to admit he hadn't thought of that.

"Don't you think he has enough things to worry about? He's here to save mutants, not to spend his time trying to prevent you guys from changing the future in a worse way than it obviously already is."

The elemental held his hands up in front of him. "It's okay, Shal. I get your point." He looked at Jesse who seemed to agree with her.

That's when Adam's voice resonated through Sanctuary. "Guys, could you come to the lab? I think we found something."

Brennan, Jesse, and Shalimar looked at each other and headed towards the lab as requested.

* * *

TBC

(standing for _To Be Completed_, chapter 9 will indeed be the last chapter of this story)

Gonna reply quickly to the last reviews I got (try to log in next time; I tend to get more talkative in private).

Mony19: You've been here from the start, and I just want you to know that I appreciate your kind words. I'm glad you're enjoying this fic and am amazed you sticked with me so long. Thank you!

Josh: Real action, huh? I was sure I had already said that: I am so not a writer. The only action piece I ever did was the first scene of the second MX RR. Remember that? Anyway, I'm totally aware this story is lacking action (well, it's lacking a lot of things actually), but focusing the story on Derek was my main intention. It's not about what happened to the team in the past, it's about how it's affecting Derek.

Honey00: wow, thanks a lot for this review! Hopefully you'll still be around for the last chapters, and I hope they won't disappoint you!

Shadowhunter: WOW. It's… That's really flattering, but you overestimate me big time. AliasJaneDoe and LoveConquers are two of the most talented writers I ever came across to and I'm so not measuring up to them! Your comment is really nice though. And glad to know you enjoyed the BTS work.

Redhead2: Well, for the record, I remember the day you read this story. I came home when you were around chapter 4 and was able to read your reviews as you were posting them. Definitely entertaining! I know I shouldn't be happy about the fact that you read the story instead of working, but, well, my ego likes being boosted like that from time to time. And I could kiss you right now! You're actually the only one who ever noticed the clues I had left here or there to indicate that Shalimar was maybe one step ahead from everyone else in finding out who Derek really was.

Karen147145: Thanks a lot for the review! And sorry, I'm a little late; I just hope it will live up to your expectations. :)


	9. Chapter 9

Here's the final chapter of this story.

See chapter one for disclaimer, summary and author's notes.

**Vibes of Time**

_By Milmiss_

Chapter 9

Checking his watch for what had to be the third time in ten minutes, Derek resumed his anxious pacing. Almost hard to believe that only several hours ago he was relaxed enough to forget about his mission, relaxed enough to stop worrying. His talk with Shalimar had done him some good and allowed him to be himself for a little while. He had let her do most of the talking to prevent some slips of the tongue and was amazed to see her so independent and carefree when what he was used to in the future was almost exclusively a strong maternal side.

The door of the lab opened, letting Emma in, bringing him back to the situation at hand. Stress and apprehension grew even larger, and he gladly accepted the mug of coffee Emma handed him. The psionic then made her way to Adam to do the same. The three of them had been working without a break since Adam had called up a meeting to announce that he had found a counteragent. They had spent the last few hours doing countless tests and simulations on the substance, checking every possibility.

Suppressing a yawn, Derek looked at the time again. He hadn't slept more than four hours the last three days and was exhausted. He knew for sure that his anxiety was the only thing keeping him awake and standing.

Noticing his behavior, Emma spoke up. "Maybe we could take a break."

Derek vehemently shook his head. "No. The sooner we're done with this, the better." He finished his coffee in a couple of sips and put his mug on a nearby table, sitting back down.

A few minutes later a beeping sound announced the end of a new analysis. Adam went to make sure the results were good and nodded at them.

"I'll go prepare the next one," Derek firmly stated as he stood up right away, unable to hide the tension he was feeling. He reached for the closest vial, but knocked down his mug in the process. It fell to the floor and broke. "Oh, crap." He looked over at Adam and Emma. "Sorry about that." He promptly knelt down and proceeded to pick up the pieces. He felt his mother coming over to help. As he saw her reaching for a piece, he couldn't help but react impulsively. "Careful." His arm accompanied his word and he realized only too late that some sparks of electricity had escaped from his fingertips. _Damn_. Emma saw it and looked him in the eye. He awkwardly looked away.

"I'll handle that," she assured him and gathered the fragments. She disappeared a few minutes later to get rid of them, leaving the two men alone.

Adam soon broke the silence. "You should go get some sleep. You're starting to be less careful."

"I can't sleep. Sure I'm deadly tired, but I can't sleep. This is way too stressful."

"Try to avoid contact with them then. Especially Emma. She's the most perceptive person I've ever met." He slowly shook his head. "Sending you here was just asking for trouble. She's the most inclined to find out." He paused. "What idiot chose to send you here, anyway?"

Derek smiled "_You_ did."

* * *

Several hours later, Emma stepped out of the lab, serene. They were done with the counteragent, and Adam had dispersed it in a way similar to that which he had done to cure mutants the year before. He still wanted to double check the results by scanning the team. Emma was the first one to comply. And the results ended up being negative. Brennan, Shalimar and Jesse still had to be scanned, but she knew it was just a formality.

She spotted Brennan at the other side of the hall and went to him. He closed the book he was reading as she sat down next to him.

"Good news, then? Brennan asked, seeing her face.

The psionic nodded. "It worked." She explained to him their last hours of work, and he patiently listened. "I was actually coming to get you. Adam is in the lab, ready for your scan."

"Alone?"

She totally knew what he was implying. "Yes. Derek left just before me. He probably went to eat something," she guessed, her tone changing slightly.

Noticing the change, Brennan gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You okay?"

"Well, physically, yes. But, I don't know, I have… mixed feelings…"

He tensed slightly. "You do?"

She nodded then sensed something strange coming from Brennan and realized he had misunderstood her. "Oh, no. Not about us. Definitely not about us," she assured, reaching for his hands. "I was talking about Derek. He acts like an outsider but I feel like I know him, like he's at his place here. It's not making sense; I don't know how to explain it."

"As a matter of fact, I feel the same. But it might be because he's a psionic. Getting us all confused, you know?" He seemed to remember something. "His powers for example. I find it hard to believe that he's only a psionic. I saw his… his…" Brennan struggled to find the right word, "Psionic blast. It seemed to be surrounded by an electric field."

"Well, I did see some sparks of electricity coming from him earlier," Emma explained. "He's definitely an elemental."

"That's what I thought." Brennan pondered the information. "Psionic and elemental, huh?"

Emma nodded.

"Greatest combination of all."

She grinned and leaned against him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She couldn't agree more.

* * *

Brennan exited the lab after his scan and went in search of his feral teammate. As he rounded the corner he heard someone singing in the distance, accompanied by a guitar. Intrigued, he followed the sound to the spare room that Derek was occupying. The door was open. Shalimar was in there, seated at the end of the bed, watching as Derek sang and played what he realized was his own guitar. His arms crossed, Brennan leaned against the doorframe, listening to the young man.

_Torn between what I can see_

_This picture you have of me_

_It isn't much to look at_

_We agree_

_This light, this rain_

_This life, this pai-_

Derek abruptly stopped as he looked up. His father was fixing him with an intense look and he subconsciously loosened his grip on the guitar.

"What's up, Bren?" Shalimar asked, sensing the tension.

He looked at her, breaking eye contact with Derek. "It's your turn. Adam's waiting for you for the check-up scan."

She saw his eyes briefly going back to Derek then returning to her. She smiled at him as she gestured to the guitar, "I found out he played so I didn't think you'd mind. And _I_," she added, getting up, "most definitely don't mind listening to someone who can actually play."

She flashed him an impudent grin, dunking as he swung a play fist to her shoulder.

"I am so kicking your ass next time we're training."

"Keep dreaming, Sparky." And then she left, satisfied when she felt that the room wasn't as much filled with tension as before.

Derek tried his best to look natural as he calmly set the guitar aside, standing to his feet. "How is it going in the lab?"

"Pretty good" Brennan assured as he sank into a nearby chair, gesturing for Derek to have a seat again. "Emma's scan was negative, mine too. We're still waiting on Jesse and Shal's but it shouldn't take long now."

"Good. I can't wait."

Brennan titled his head. "To go back?"

"Yeah. It just seems like the longer I'm staying here, the more risks I'll have to make a mistake. If it's not already done."

The elemental studied him closely. "You need to have a little faith. The greatest mistake you can make is to continually fear you will make one."

Derek did a double take as he heard his own words coming from his father's mouth. "Elbert Hubbard, huh?" He smiled, sensing the surprise coming from his father. He got tempted to throw him Stephanie's comeback but decided against it. Stephanie. He missed her terribly. He had told Shalimar he had a girlfriend, without being too specific. He couldn't take the risk of changing something about her in the future. She meant too much to him.

Brennan seemed to notice the change of mood. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I'm just… homesick, I guess." _As ironic as that can sound._

They both went quiet as Adam's voice resonated through Brennan's comlink, asking him to go pick up Diana now that all the results were negative.

He got up, casting a glance at Derek. "Looks like you'll be home soon." Brennan made his way to the door and turned before exiting. "Derek." The young man looked up and saw his father indicate his guitar. "You're good."

Brennan couldn't help but smile back when Derek's face lit up.

* * *

Derek could hear someone impatiently tapping his fingers against the coffee table. He had closed his eyes a little while ago and was dangerously starting to doze off now. He could still sense the presence of the other members of the team around him. They had all been waiting for Brennan for the past hour. Derek sank more deeply into the armchair, trying to get more comfortable, when all of a sudden the tapping stopped.

"You took your sweet time, man."

He opened his eyes and saw Brennan and Diana walking towards them.

"We got caught up in traffic on our way back," Brennan explained. "There's been a car accident on Oakhurst Street."

They all got up to greet them, but Diana instantly fixed her eyes on Derek. "Let's get this over with."

_Hmm, yeah, nice to meet you too_, thought the young man sarcastically. But he couldn't blame her. Just like her, he wanted to be done with this as soon as possible.

* * *

After taking Diana aside to brief her, Derek returned to the team. "We can probably skip the whole good-bye thin-"

Shalimar had him in a hug before he could finish his sentence.

He chuckled. "Okay, I guess not then."

They didn't realize everyone in the room was puzzled by the feral's reaction.

"Take care," She whispered.

"Hey, relax. This vortex is safe. You know it, you used it too."

He was right, but she couldn't help it. "I'm gonna miss you."

He drew back and mouthed the words 'Thank you'. Shalimar nodded, understanding.

Adam then appeared next to him and shook his hand. "Thank you, Derek. For everything."

The young man nodded. "Well, I'll find out in a few if everything really went as planned."

"I'm sure it did," He confidently replied. "The Nolexin completely vanished from their bodies. You don't have to worry about that anymore."

Derek turned towards the molecular who nodded gratefully at him. He nodded back and turned when he heard his mother's voice.

"So, will we ever see you again?"

She was standing next to his father, and he noted they were holding hands.

He returned his gaze to her and smiled. "I guarantee it."

"Be careful on the ride back. It's a little bumpy."

Derek nodded at his father's way of saying goodbye and finally turned towards Diana, telling her he was ready and making sure she would generate the vortex where he would have a chance to land on his feet this time.

* * *

And he did land on his feet in a very silent Sanctuary. Even in the dimly lit area, he could tell that this was the Sanctuary he was used to. Same design, same furniture. They were probably all already asleep, hence the lights being turned almost completely down.

Derek decided to start checking places so he went to his bedroom and entered it. His eyes travelled across the room, a relieved smile appearing on his face. Everything was in the same place, things felt the same. He sat on his bed, still going over items, making sure nothing was missing. Satisfied with his partial inventory, he stretched his arms a little and leaned back on his mattress. He was asleep in no time.

* * *

Derek awoke the next morning to the smell of coffee. He tiredly opened his eyes, casting a glance at his radio alarm. It indicated 8:28am. He was ready to turn around and go back to sleep when he realized how he was laying and that he had slept in his clothes. That's when it all came back to him. The mission in the past, the Nolexin, Diana. He was back in his time. He had wanted to go check on his parents when he arrived, but his exhaustion had gotten the better of him. And now he felt very apprehensive again, anxious to see his family. He wanted to be able to take his mother in his arms, he wanted to be comfortable around his father again, he wanted to see Stephanie. He got up, realizing the clothes he wore weren't his. When he was in the past, he had been borrowing clothes from Jesse. So going out in his uncle's old clothes, wasn't probably the best idea. He headed for the bathroom, hoping also that a shower would help him fully wake up.

As he stepped out of his room fifteen minutes later, he couldn't help looking around like a visitor to make sure it was still the same place in the daylight. _So far, so good_.

"Hey, son." He turned around at the sound of the voice and saw his father looking at him from where he was seated. The single word made him smile like never before. After four days of trying to avoid him at any cost to prevent disasters, to have him looking at him as if he was a threat to get rid of, he was finally sensing the feelings he was used to coming from him.

He was ready to reply when his mom appeared next to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Morning, mom," He happily let out, as he touched her mind. He followed her to the table and took a seat opposite his parents, greeting Shalimar and Adam, who were at the other side of the table as well, with a smile.

"How are you, Derek?" asked Adam.

"A little tired," he confessed, reaching for the bottle of orange juice, "but fine."

He was ready to pour himself a glass when he felt arms going around his neck. He smiled, knowing it was Anjelica's usual way to say hello to him. He turned his head to greet her, but received a kiss on his lips from Julia before he had the time to realize what was happening. He almost instantly stepped back, somewhat awkwardly, and the sudden move made him fall from his chair.

Everyone at the table stopped chatting right away. His parents' first reaction was amusement until Emma picked up the strong, anxious vibes his son was projecting.

"Errr..." Derek looked up at Julia, "good morning to you too," he let out, unsure. A strange feeling was slowly setting in the pit of his stomach. There was something different about her. He wasn't sure exactly what it was... her hair. Her hair seemed longer. He finally got up, still looking at her. "Wanna tell me what that was about?"

Julia, stunned by his first reaction, raised her eyebrows at his question. "What do you mean? I'm kissing my boyfriend, that's what it is about."

Derek looked at her curiously. "Excuse me? Since when?"

"About three months now. Did you hit your head or something?"

"Wow, hang on. Are you actually implying that…" A couple of seconds passed in complete silence until Derek started to laugh. "Okay, I get it. This is a joke. Who came up with this one? Darien?" He completely missed the confused looks of his and Julia's parents because his eyes were still on the young feral, who didn't seem to find this funny at all. Derek's laugh grew nervous, then finally died. _A joke, this has to be a joke_.

"A joke...", Started Julia.

"Come on, Julia, you guys know I wouldn't have fallen for that. I mean... you and me... this is... completely wrong! And I have a girlfriend who I care about, you know that!"

He stopped talking when he saw her eyes briefly turning a yellowish shade. Tension was dangerously rising, and Emma chose that moment to intervene. She didn't like what she was picking up from her son.

"Derek, honey, are you feeling okay?"

He looked at her, and all hell broke loose. "No! No, I'm not feeling all right!", he exclaimed, walking closer to the table. "I don't understand one damn thing that's going on around here and why nobody can give me a simple straight answer."

"What are you talking about?", Brennan asked.

He leaned himself on the table and looked at Adam. "What's today's date?"

"May 28th," he replied like it was the most evident thing. Why was Derek acting so strangely?

"What year?"

"Derek... are you feeling sick or..."

"2030," Brennan had cut Adam in the middle of his sentence, his eyes focused on his son. Like Emma, he could feel his intense distress.

Derek locked eyes with his father, registering the information. "It can't be," he whispered. "It can't be!" He repeated louder, as if to convince himself. He took a few steps backwards, but froze when he heard another voice.

"What's with all the shouting?"

Derek turned around and let out a relieved sigh. "Uncle Jesse." He engulfed him in a hug the next second, temporarily forgetting about everything else. "Thank god, you're all right." The confusion on the molecular's face matched exactly the expression of the other people in the room as he hesitantly hugged Derek back.

"Of course I am," Jesse sounded slightly amused.

That's when Derek realized he had overreacted. "Right." Smiling, he stepped back, allowing the molecular to reach for the last empty chair. "You haven't been coughing lately, right?" He asked, sitting down with him. Jesse eyed him strangely. "No curious manifestations of your powers?" He couldn't help himself, he had to make sure the Nolexin wasn't in their organism anymore.

"He's starting to sound like you," Jesse said to Adam.

Derek was still staring at the molecular. "I'm serious."

Jesse arched up an eyebrow. "I'm… feeling great, thank you." He phased and unphased his hand briefly. "See? Everything's working."

Derek nodded, feeling a little better. "Okay."

"Are you sure everything's okay, sweetie?"

He was ready to answer in the affirmative to his mother when something crossed his mind. He narrowed his eyes, realizing that the twins weren't there. "Err…" He stopped. He was just being paranoid. They probably were sleeping over at friends.

Nevertheless something still wasn't right. "Wait a minute… where is Jenny?"

They all looked at each other, confused. _No_. Even though he had his attention fixed on Jesse, Derek could feel the vibes emanating from everyone else. The molecular looked at him and realized the question was addressed to him. _Please don't say it_. He looked completely clueless as he asked, "Who's Jenny?"

The room fell silent, and Derek could have sworn his heart stopped beating at that instant. He put his face in his hands, not wanting to believe what he had just heard. But he knew it was true, he could feel it now. How different it was. But it was only different for him. He was alone in this again.

Nobody around the table had dared to speak, too stunned by the young man's behavior.

All of a sudden, Derek abruptly got up and kicked his chair away. They all jumped at his outburst.

"Derek!"

The young man turned around and pointed at them. "Stay away from me!" he demanded when he saw them getting up. "Just…" His voice broke, and he trailed off, his eyes welling up.

He turned away from them, trying to contain himself. How in the hell could things change so much? He felt someone coming closer, but didn't have the strength to look up. "Stay away."

Emma didn't let him finish and wrapped her arms around her son. She too was crying, feeling the intensity of his emotions, even though the reason for those was completely unknown to her.

Derek stayed still for a while and finally hugged her back tightly, silently crying on her shoulder. She was still his mother. And she was pretty much the same, he could feel it. So was his father, he registered as he felt him hugging them both. But so many other things were different. Completely messed up. He couldn't even try to make sense of what was happening. Only one thing was coming clear in his head, something he had read once. _When you get obsessed trying to correct mistakes from your past, most of the time it only creates mistakes in your present._

THE END.

* * *

ducks for cover

Yeah, really the end this time. I've always wanted to end the story this way, because, well, let's get realistic: a time travel story just.cannot.end.well. Even if it doesn't really end that bad here. Technically it only ends badly for Derek because he's the only one knowing that it was different before.

But anyway, time to give credits where credits are due.

The lyrics are from the song _Everyone Goes_ written by Snuffy Walden for the OAA episode 203 – I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down).

As for the quote in the last sentence, it's from Naren Shankar.

The inspiration for this story came long ago (way before I started posting it here) from three different things (BTTF, MX and Sliders). The more obvious one, I guess, being the Back to the Future trilogy. I love those movies, know them by heart. That's why you can find countless BTTF references in this story (some more obvious than others). Then one day I was checking the updates of the B/E shipper site "Power Surge" and came across a fic challenge submitted by Lassara about how Brennan and Emma were sending their child back in time to protect him/her from the GSA or something. And it instantly remembered me of a series of Sliders fanfictions I had read a long time ago about Quinn and Wade's son, and how he had to go back in time to change something in the past. And I sort of mixed the two ideas, keeping the fandom from Lassara's challenge (because her idea of a very powerful child sounded way too cliché, just like the whole Emma/Brennan/Shalimar love triangle wasn't something I wanted to work on – plus the fact that I couldn't understand how someone could think that hiding in the past was a good idea for protection) and keeping the starting point of the Sliders ffs, using the time travel as a necessity to make the future better.

The rest is history (mostly headaches trying to come up with a decent plot, stress over deadlines, many sleepless nights, more headaches…).

You probably won't see me again in this fandom (MX I mean), I never really considered this story to be a MX fanfiction anyway. The idea for _Vibes of Time_ was to basically use Mutant X as a background. Some kind of excuse to write a story focusing on one character, on his journey through time and how changes could affect him. And, well, I can get creative, but I usually need something to start with, that's how MX came into play.

Huge, huge, HUGE thanks to LoveConquers for everything, and I mean everything.

And thanks again to the people who stuck with me and didn't let go of the story despite the lack of updates.


End file.
